7 Best Ways to Dispose of a Custom PC and Important Tips [Recycling Services Are the Easiest]

When disposing of a custom-built PC, it is necessary to follow the proper disposal methods according to local government rules and the Small Home Appliance Recycling Law.

Another important point when disposing of a PC is to completely delete all data (mainly personal information).

If a PC is disposed of incorrectly, there is a risk of personal information leakage or violation of the law. This article explains the necessary knowledge and introduces several proper disposal methods.

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Disposing of Custom PCs and the Small Home Appliance Recycling Law

The Small Home Appliance Recycling Law is a law aimed at effective use of resources and proper waste management.

Both manufacturer PCs and custom-built PCs are included as small home appliances under this law and are subject to recycling.

Manufacturer PCs have a recycling mark, and manufacturers are obligated to collect and reuse them.

Therefore, the manufacturer’s website should have information about collection.

If there is a recycling mark, the collection fee is usually included in the price of the PC, so collection is generally free.

On the other hand, custom-built PCs assembled from individual parts do not have a recycling mark.

As a result, there is no manufacturer to collect them.

If a custom PC is disposed of as bulky waste without following the rules, it may be considered illegal dumping and could violate Article 16 of the Industrial Waste Disposal Law.

Therefore, owners must handle the recycling process themselves when disposing of a custom-built PC.

Depending on the local government, some areas may allow disposal as bulky waste, so always check the local rules.

How to Dispose of a Custom-Built PC

Here are some specific methods for disposing of a custom-built PC.

Depending on the method, there are differences in cost, effort, risk, and environmental impact, so choose the one that suits your needs.

Request Collection from Local Government or Recycling Company as a Small Home Appliance

Local governments collect PCs based on the Small Home Appliance Recycling Law, so you can request collection through them.

Check the local government website for information about PC recycling.

Example: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo

However, the actual collection is carried out by a contracted recycling company, Renet Japan Recycle Co., Ltd.

Since it is a home pickup service, there is no need to bring the PC anywhere, which is convenient.

This company is a nationally certified small appliance recycling business (No. 0024) and works with 700 local governments (covering about 88.46 million people), making it a very large company.

They properly disassemble PCs and recover resources such as metals and rare metals.

External link: Ministry of the Environment – Certified Small Appliance Recycling Businesses

Not all certified businesses accept requests from individuals, as many are B2B companies.

The process for home pickup by Renet Japan is as follows:

Since data deletion can also be requested, this is recommended for those who want a quick and easy solution.

Request Collection from the PC 3R Promotion Association

The PC 3R Promotion Association is a general incorporated association that promotes recycling of unwanted PCs and accepts custom-built PCs from individuals.

They also collect manufacturer PCs that do not have a collection service.

The collection process is as follows:

External link: PC 3R Promotion Association – PC Collection Application from Households

Bring to Major Electronics Retailers

Another method is to request collection from major electronics retailers that collect small home appliances.

Major electronics retailers that accept collection include:

• Edion
• K’s Denki
• Kojima
• Joshin Denki
• Sofmap
• Bic Camera
• Yamada Denki
• Yodobashi Camera

Not all stores offer collection, so check each retailer’s website or contact them to confirm availability, methods, and fees.

Bring to a Recycle Shop or Secondhand Dealer

Bring the custom PC to a nearby recycle shop or secondhand dealer to sell it.

Unlike other methods that may require a disposal fee, selling to these dealers allows you to receive money instead.

Custom-built PCs are large and heavy, so it may be difficult to bring them in without a car, but if you can manage, you can avoid disposal fees.

These businesses maintain and resell purchased custom PCs, so be sure to delete all data from the storage.

Sell Directly to Individuals via Flea Market Apps or Auctions

Another method is to sell the custom PC directly to individuals using flea market apps or online auctions.

Compared to requesting collection from a recycling company or bringing it to a recycle shop, the final selling price is often higher, but there are disadvantages such as the effort of creating listings, communicating with buyers, shipping, and the risk of trouble in personal transactions.

Personally, this method is not highly recommended due to the effort and risk of trouble in personal transactions.

Especially for custom-built PCs, if neither party has enough knowledge to understand the PC’s performance, trouble can easily occur.

Sellers must accurately describe what the PC can do, and buyers must understand what level of performance is needed for their purposes.

Even if the seller provides accurate information, if the buyer lacks knowledge and mistakenly believes the PC can do more than it can, complaints may arise.

Also, when disposing of old custom-built PCs, they may be 5 or 10 years old. Considering the age and that they are used, high prices are unlikely, so this method may not be worth the effort or risk.

Disassemble and Dispose of PC Parts as Regular Trash

Instead of disposing of the custom PC as a whole, disassemble it into parts and dispose of them as household trash according to local rules.

Some parts can be disposed of as household trash, depending on the local government’s rules.

However, since rules and collection methods differ by area, always check with your local government.

If you are unsure about proper disposal, it is safer to request a recycling company as mentioned above.

Request a Junk or Waste Collection Company

Another method is to request a junk or waste collection company.

Examples include:

• Companies that drive around neighborhoods with loudspeakers collecting junk
• Companies advertising “free household waste collection” through flyers or online ads

However, junk collection companies are regulated by the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law, which requires a permit to ensure proper waste management and protect public health and the environment.

There are also unlicensed companies, so if you cannot confirm whether a company is licensed and trustworthy, it is not recommended.

Using an unlicensed company may result in improper disposal or illegal dumping, causing environmental problems.

When requesting junk collection, always check the company’s permit or registration number and use a trustworthy, licensed company.

You can check for licensed companies on the Industrial Waste Disposal Permit Administrative Information Search System (Japan Industrial Waste Management Foundation).

Data Deletion is Essential Before Disposing of a Custom PC

If the storage contains personal information such as names, addresses, photos, videos, account information, credit card information or highly confidential files that should not be leaked, make sure to “completely” delete the data before disposal.

Be especially careful when selling to secondhand shops.

Simply deleting files does not completely erase data from storage, so it must be “completely” deleted from the storage as well.

Here, deleting means right-clicking a file and selecting [Delete] (move to Recycle Bin), or right-clicking and pressing [Shift] + [Delete] (delete without moving to Recycle Bin).

In the latter case, even if asked “Do you want to permanently delete this file?”, it only means the file is deleted without going to the Recycle Bin, but the data remains on the storage.

This happens because, when a file is deleted in Windows, only the index file is marked as “deleted”—the actual data remains on the disk.

Normally, deleted files cannot be seen in Windows, but with special recovery software, deleted data can be easily restored.

Therefore, to “completely” delete the actual data left on the storage, do one of the following:

• Use data erasure software
• Physically destroy the hard disk

Data erasure software overwrites data to make it unrecoverable.

Due to storage specifications, deleted file areas are overwritten with new data when new files are saved.

Deleting a file means overwriting it with meaningless data (such as 0000), but this is done when new files are saved to that area, not at the time of deletion, for efficiency.

This reduces the number of write cycles, improving storage performance and longevity.

Physical destruction involves drilling holes in or smashing the hard disk with a hammer.

Doing this yourself can be difficult and dangerous due to flying metal or glass fragments, so it is better to use a service that offers physical destruction.

• Bic Camera (stores nationwide)
• PC Comfull (stores in Akihabara, Namba, Nagoya, Umeda, Kobe Sannomiya)
• Akihabara Final Disposal Site

It is unclear if all Bic Camera stores offer this service, so contact them in advance if necessary.

There have been cases reported on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube where data was found on storage devices purchased from secondhand shops.

Sometimes, users did not delete data before selling, or data was restored using recovery software.

In some videos, photos of previous owners (with mosaics) were actually found, so selling storage devices to secondhand shops without proper data deletion is risky.

Summary: Collection by Local Government or PC 3R Promotion Association is Recommended!

This article explained proper disposal methods for custom-built PCs according to local government rules and the Small Home Appliance Recycling Law.

There are various methods, so choose the one that best fits your needs in terms of cost, effort, risk, and resource reuse.

Here is a summary of the key points for disposing of custom-built PCs:

When disposing of a PC, be sure to completely delete all data (mainly personal information).

Due to storage specifications, normal file deletion only makes data inaccessible from Windows, but the data remains on the storage device.

Therefore, use data erasure software to overwrite the entire storage with meaningless data, or physically destroy the device.

If you want to avoid the hassle, the recycling service with data deletion options provided by Renet Japan Recycle Co., Ltd. is a good choice.

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PC Parts Estimation & Compatibility Check Tool

Automatically checks each component you need when selecting parts for a custom-built PC—perfect for beginners.