To recycle a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) from a flash drive depends on a couple of key factors. Most important are the materials used when making the PCB and the available recycling processes once the old USB flash drive is sent for recycling.

Not that many are super interested in this, but here is the breakdown for recycling a printed circuit board from a USB flash drive:

A flash drive’s PCB is mostly made up several key materials where each material serves a specific purpose in it’s operation. Most of the device, about 60–70% consists of fiberglass or epoxy resin, which provides structural integrity. Copper traces and layers inside the PCB, making up 10–20% of the product and used as electrical conductivity for the electronics product. Additionally, electronic components such as integrated circuits (ICs), capacitors, and resistors account for 10–15% of the board’s composition – this plays a crucial role in data storage and processing. The remaining 5–10% consists of various other materials like gold plating, solder, and adhesives, which contribute to connectivity, durability, and assembly.

When recycling a USB flash drive only certain materials are truly recoverable.

Copper, which makes up about 10–20% of the PCB, is highly recyclable and is often extracted during the recycling process.

Gold, though only about 1% of the board, is valuable and found in connectors and contact pads, BUT requires specialized methods for recovery.

Silver, present in trace amounts, can sometimes be found in solder or coatings and is also recoverable.

Electronic components, which constitute 10–15% of the PCB, can sometimes be desoldered and reused, though most are shredded and smelted to extract precious metals. However, fiberglass and epoxy resin, making up the majority (60–70%) of the PCB, are difficult to recycle and typically end up as waste or are repurposed as filler material.

For example, during the PCB recycling process, copper is often separated using a combination of mechanical shredding and chemical treatments, allowing it

The following list of people have recently donated their unwanted and used USB flash drives so that other people, who are less fortunate, can have access to this wonderful technology. Take a moment to appreciate those who put in the little bit of work to hopefully, make the world a little better of a place.

• Megan Schneider – Cincinnati, OH
• Claudia Leftherst – Walnut Creek, CA
• Holly Kondras – Terre Haute, IN
• Virginia Scarlett – Flintridge, CA
• Patricia Rodrigues – Littleton, CO
• Krystal Goetz – West Jordah, UT
• Chris Cameron – Braintree, MA
• Ted Stein – Bellevue, WA
• Emporium Warehouse – Anaheim, CA
• “MK” – Seattle, WA
• J Bingel – Venice, FL
• Sherry Woolridge – Pageton, WV
• Jen Roberts – Seatle, WA
• Eric Fredricks – Davenport, IA
• MCW – Geneseo, NM
• Laurin Moran – Denver, CO
• E George – Dallas, TX
• No Name – Beverly Hills, CA
• Diana Guevara – Edgewater, MD
• No Name – Pennington, NJ
• No Name – Concord, MA

Some general information about the elements of a USB flash drive which can be recycled or disposed of properly. This website does not “recycle” USB flash drives in the traditional sense, our goal is to repurpose the flash drives so less fortunate people can have access to this wonderful technology, free of charge.

Flash drives contain a variety of elements that can be recycled, such as plastics, metals, and rare-earth elements. Plastics can be recycled into new plastic products, while metals can be melted down and reused in new products. The rare-earth elements, such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and samarium, can also be recycled, though the process is more complicated and requires specialized equipment. Additionally, many flash drives contain small amounts of hazardous materials, such as lead and mercury, which must be disposed of properly.

Old plastics can be recycled into new plastics through a process called ‘chemical recycling’. This involves breaking down the plastic into its constituent parts and then reforming it into a new plastic. The chemical recycling process can be used to create a wide range of new plastic products, from packaging to bottles and containers. Additionally, chemical recycling can help reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills or the environment.

Rare earth elements, such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and samarium require specialized equipment to be recycled. This equipment typically includes shredders, smelting furnaces, and leaching systems. Additionally, the recycling process may also involve the use of chemicals and other hazardous materials, which must be handled with extreme care.

Recycling companies must properly dispose of lead and mercury in order to protect the environment and prevent contamination. Lead and mercury must be handled carefully, as they can be toxic if not handled properly. The recycling company should first isolate the lead and mercury, then place them in sealed containers for transport. The recycling company should then dispose of the lead and mercury in a hazardous waste facility, where it can be safely and properly disposed of.

Thank you for those who donated to Recycle USB for the repurposing of USB flash drive media. If you are new to the website, please visit our Mission Statement page about what we do and how our website “recycles” USB flash drives. Our service is not the assumed and traditional “recycle” process most associate with e-cycling electronics.

Most recent donations came from the quality people listed below:

• Ryan Orgera – Alexandria, VA
• Rich Sherman – Santa Monica, CA
• Victoria Kirby – Hoboken, NJ
• Scott Petty – Pittsboro, NC
• ??? – Briarcliff Manor, NY
• Mr Ferdon – Battle Creek, MI
• Coy – Boston, MA
• Angie Reyes – Bothell, WA
• ??? – River Valley, NJ
• Travis Miller – Cambridge, MA
• Donald Hardin – Riverside, CT
• Sheli Radoshitzky – Frederick, MD
• Santesh Kumar – ???
• Laura Labriola – Fairfield, NJ
• Mike Diamantes – Los Angeles, CA

Audimation Services Inc – Huston, TX – Thank you for the large three box donation; however, after testing 10 random drives, none of the drives worked or functioned in a Windows computer; therefore RecycleUSB cannot use these drives for the SugarLabs project. We will coordinate with our local electronics recycling center to properly dispose of the items. We very much appreciate the effort and wanted you to know the final resting spot for your kind gesture.

Since December of 2021 here is the list of people who’ve donated flash drives along with a picture for proof of processing. We wonder, does anyone ever check back on our site to make sure their package was received and processed?

Once again, thankless job for those putting in the effort to package up and ship out USB flash drives to be recycled.

The full list of people who recycled USB drives between our last post and today:

• Allieoop Bricks & Figs – Peoria, AZ – These folks have a unique website which is about buying used Lego blocks. Here is their webpage link for buying used Lego blocks.
• Nora Quinn – Claremont, CA
• ??? – San Rafael, CA
• Mohle Miller – Portland, OR
• ??? – Pleasanton, CA
• Laura R – New York
• Liz Welch – Raleigh, NC
• Esther Shmagin – Minneapolis, MN
• HAQ – Richardson, TX
• Jazz – Hanton, CT
• Joan Schramm – Annapolis, MD
• Stephen Byrd – Willow Springs, NC
• Jasmine Mcgurk – Roswell, GA
• Kristin Knopf – Washington, DC
• Bowers – Marysville, PA
• Weber – Tomah, WI

The charter of this website is to collect unwanted or unused USB flash drives from end-users and turn them into something others can use.

RecycleUSB teamed with SugarLabs.org to provide free flash drives to children without computers. The SugarLabs project provides technology which can be loaded to a USB drive and turn the portable device into a portable operating system.

The SugarLabs technology is based off Linux and is a simple operating system which runs directly from the flash drive in conjunction with using the hardware of a host computer. It is easy to understand the USB doesn’t have hardware such as a processor for computations, a graphics card, ethernet connection and so many other things associated with a personal computer. Thus, the Sugar on a Stick is a personal operating system which uses the hardware of a computer.

The personal operating system gives the child a private computer for their own work. The Sugar on a Stick allows the child to keep their content and information to themself while still providing them with a personal computer which can be used anywhere.

In the United States it is very common for a household to own a personal computer, but in many other countries this is not the case. The portable operating system allows a child without a home computer to have a portable operating system which can be used at a public library, school or internet cafe.

Today, a large number of recycled USB drives have shipped to SugarLabs. These drives have been wiped clean of any data through a secure process, formatted and tested. The GB capacities range from 2GB all the way to 64GB capacity.

This recycle program is done at no charge. To donate or recycle a USB drive is free. The RecycleUSB.com website has teamed with Nexcopy who provides the equipment to securely erase all data on a drive, format the drive and test the drive. Recycle USB then ships the items to the corporate office of SugarLabs (New York) for distribution throughout the world.

Anyone can donate, start here.

Twenty people/organizations have donated their flash drives for recycling since our last post in September of 2020. Your time and effort to package up and ship off your unwanted flash drives is much appreciated. As we’ve said before, these drives will be cleaned up (formatted and data erased) from the donor with our flash memory copier equipment and repurpose the drives and sent to sugarlabs.org for re-use.

Here is the list of twenty who contributed since our last post:

• Ravi – San Mateo, CA
• Stephanie Shae – La Palma, CA
• Thomas Hearns – North Ridgeville, OH
• Feltault Family – Topsfield, MA
• K Nuss – Pacific Grove, CA
• Ryan Mitchell – Puyallupa, WA
• Gloria Yehilevsky – Poway, CA – Check it out: www.gloriaymusic.com
• Risan – Menlo Park, CA
• Jamie Schmidt – De Pere, WI
• Lily Kim – San Diego, CA
• Thomas Mielke – Flower Mound, TX (sounds like a nice place)
• Cathie Lee – Laguna Hills, CA
• M.T. Taglang – Bethleham, PA
• Kendra Lewis – Somersworth, NH
• Rooney – Naperville, IL
• Jocelyn Delmar – Kenmore, NY – Check it out: www.etsy.com/shop/paragraphloop
• Daniel Potts – Walton, KY
• Charles Hotchkiss – Everett, WA
• S. McMahon – Biscayne Park, FL

Recycle USB is a website for people looking to recycle their USB flash drives for a better cause.

Send your USB to school.

Each donated drive is loaded with Sugar, making it Sugar on a Stick.  Sugar is a standalone computer operating system which runs off a USB flash drive.  Sugar is developed to provide children a free portable and interactive learning environment in a self contained thumb drive.

Sending your USB stick to a recycle center holds far less Good Will then sending your USB stick to a child wanting to learn.

Here is how the USB journey begins:

• Step 1: Collect all your old and unused USB flash drives. **Sugar requires a minimum 1GB stick**
• Step 2: Send your USB drive(s) to RecycleUSB.com
• Step 3: We receive the drives and perform a low-level format to clean the drive of any data.
• Step 4: We then data load “Sugar On A Stick” operating system onto your donated USB flash drive to make the portable learning computer
• Step 5: We send the finished product to Sugar Labs for deployment to any number of locations throughout the world.

Once Sugar Labs receives your donated drive, it is then deployed to any number of possible locations around the world.  Your generous donation could go to a child in Peru, or South Africa or Thailand!  Your flash drive will become a portable computer for a very lucky child.

This Good Will act of sending in your USB stick is far greater than recycling old components of a flash drive for a couple pennies in return