Not all retailer recycling programs are created equal. Some accept anything from anyone for free. Some require a recent purchase. Some have limits on quantity or device type. Here's the honest breakdown.
Best Buy: the gold standard. Accepts computers, phones, tablets, monitors, TVs (under 32"), cables, batteries, and most other electronics. Free for most items, $30 for TVs (which is fair given the mercury in older backlights). No purchase required. The bins are at the front of every store. This is your first stop.
Staples: good, especially for small business. Accepts computers, phones, tablets, and ink cartridges. The ink cartridge program gives you store rewards. No purchase required for most items.
Apple Stores: take Apple products and offer Trade In value if there's any. For zero-value devices, they recycle free. They do not accept other brands' products in-store (Dell Reconnect via Goodwill is the third-party option that does).
Home Depot and Lowe's: excellent for batteries and lightbulbs specifically. Not for computers or phones. The battery drop-off bins near the front are genuinely useful.
The bottom line: Best Buy handles 90% of what most households need to dispose of. For computers specifically, manufacturer take-back programs (Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo) are equally good and involve no trip to the store.