GreenCitizen

Do you serve Portola Valley, California?

Yes. GreenCitizen serves Portola Valley residents through our Burlingame EcoCenter drop-off location, and qualifying Portola Valley businesses and organizations can request business pickup service within our 35-mile Bay Area service radius.

Can Portola Valley residents drop off electronics at GreenCitizen?

Yes. Portola Valley residents can bring accepted electronics to our Burlingame EcoCenter, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. No appointment is needed.

Do you offer residential pickup in Portola Valley?

No. GreenCitizen does not offer residential electronics pickup. Portola Valley households use our Burlingame EcoCenter for drop-off recycling.

How far is GreenCitizen from Portola Valley?

Our Burlingame EcoCenter is approximately 17 miles from Portola Valley — roughly a 20- to 25-minute drive via Alpine Road east to US-101 North.

Portola Valley is mostly residential with very few businesses. Can my organization still qualify for business pickup?

Yes. Qualifying organizations in Portola Valley — including home-based businesses, small professional practices, private schools, Stanford-affiliated offices or faculty households with qualifying business equipment, and estate or property managers — can request pickup provided the load meets requirements and the location is within our service radius. Pickup fees are waived when the inventory includes at least 5 qualifying items combined.

What counts as a qualifying item for free business pickup?

Qualifying items include laptops, desktops, servers, enterprise networking equipment such as switches and routers, phones or tablets 4 inches or larger, and LCD or LED monitors. At least 5 qualifying items combined are required to waive the standard pickup fee.

Do you offer data destruction services?

Yes. GreenCitizen offers software-based data sanitization ($5 per drive) and physical hard drive destruction ($20 per drive). Certificates of Destruction are available for an additional $5 per unit. Our data handling follows the methods referenced in DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 guidance.

Portola Valley has required green building standards and sustainability goals since 2009. Does GreenCitizen's recycling support those goals?

Yes. Portola Valley's General Plan Sustainability Element and its commitments under the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement and AB 32 all include waste reduction and responsible materials management as community goals. Recycling electronics through a certified, accountable recycler — rather than discarding or stockpiling old devices — directly aligns with those commitments. GreenCitizen tracks every major item through GTAMS, processes all equipment through US-based R2 and e-Stewards certified facilities, and provides documentation for businesses that need chain-of-custody records.