You just got a new tablet, smartphone or smart TV for the holidays. Heck, maybe you even got all three. So now you’ve got a bunch of “obsolete” gadgets destined for the closet or the attic, where it will gather dust — or get you labeled a compulsive hoarder.
With just a little effort, you can get rid of last year’s gear (or even gadgets from a bygone decade) in an eco-friendly way. You might even earn a little cash in the process.
Whatever you do, don’t throw your old electronics in the trash. We threw out 304 million gadgets (.pdf) in 2005, which equates to as much as 1.8 million tons of e-waste. That number climbed to 2.4 million tons in 2010. That number just keeps climbing. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that one-third of gift purchases this holiday season were some type of consumer electronics, which means people have a lot of stuff to get rid of.
Simply tossing it in the trash is hell on the environment, because e-waste can leak harmful chemicals into the soil or water supply. You have three main choices for properly getting rid of your old electronics gear: trading it in, donating it or recycling it.
Trade It In
Trade-ins and buyback programs will earn you a gift card or cash for your old gear — as long as it works and it’s in good condition.
If you’re ready to winnow your collection of DVDs, Blu-ray discs, electronics, books and videogames, take a look at Amazon’s Trade-In store. There are about 8,000 items in five product categories eligible for this trade-in program. It’s easy: You find the item you’re thinking about trading in, and then define your hardware’s condition (trade-in prices adjust accordingly). Print a shipping label and send off the gear to Amazon. In turn, Amazon gives you a gift card in the amount of your trade-in.
So how good are the deals? As of press time, trading in a 64 GB white Apple iPad 2 will net you as much as $278. You can get $80 for an unlocked 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Note, and a 16 GB Apple iPhone 4S (white) can return as much as $243.
Best Buy also offers an online trade-in service for a wide variety of products — everything from musical instruments to DVD players to videogames.
Apple has a recycling program for its devices that follows a similar procedure. For Apple’s Reuse and Recycling Program, you first define the condition of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac desktop or notebook. You’ll be asked questions like, “Does the battery fully charge?” and “Are there any cracks or damage to either the display or case?”
Once you’ve established your trade-in value and opted in, you’ll get an Apple Gift Card that can be used online or in the company’s retail stores. If your gear is in good condition, you could get up to $155 back on a black 32 GB iPhone 4, up to $524 for a 2010 15-inch MacBook Pro, or up to $210 for a 16 GB third-generation Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad.
A number of other major retailers and manufacturers offer trade-in and buy-back programs as well. Sprint has a buyback program for its products that can get you up to $300 cash back. Samsung also has a buyback program for up to $300 if you buy a new Galaxy device. Kodak buys back a number of its products, from digital cameras to consumer printers.
The EPA has a huge list of manufacturers and retailers who will take back your old hardware, as well as other resources for donating and recycling gear.
Donate It
If you’re not hurting for cash, consider donating your old electronics. Your tech could be used to fund a good cause, or go to someone who perhaps wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence will refurbish and resell most of the phones they get in order to fund programs that help victims of domestic violence. Phones not sold are recycled. Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine program functions similarly.
You can also donate your old cellphone to Operation Gratitude, which sends care packages to U.S. troops abroad. The organization will sell your donated phone and use the funds for the packages of food, entertainment, and toiletries that they send to our military. Cell Phones for Soldiers, endorsed by AT&T, sends troops pre-paid mobile phones so they can stay in touch with loved ones while overseas.
Recycle It
Don’t throw your electronics in the trash! There are a number of different services you can use to recycle your old electronics in a way that won’t harm the environment.
Greener Gadgets offers a tool that lets you search by zipcode to find electronics recycling locations near you. The site also lists a number of companies that have buy-back and trade-in programs. You can also search Alcoa for recycling centers in your area.
Apple, AT&T, Dell, and HP, among other hardware manufacturers, all have recycling programs set up to make it easy to get rid of your old computer, display, or smartphone in an eco-friendly way. Apple’s recycling program homepage in particular has more information and links to electronics recycling locales in the U.S. and internationally. Dell Reconnect will also recycle any computer, in any condition, at locations around the nation. Toshiba has options for mailing your devices back, donating to a local nonprofit, or finding nearby recycling centers.
Call 2 Recycle has information on drop off locations where you can recycle old rechargeable batteries. For old Mac batteries, you can also bring them to an Apple Store where they will recycle them for free.
If you’re completely overwhelmed with what you should do now, check out Ecosquid to easily compare options in your area, or this e-waste guide for other options. And if you know of any other good resources or causes for taking on discarded electronics, feel free to share them in the comments.
How to Recycle 2012's Tech for Cash and Good Karma
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How to Recycle 2012's Tech for Cash and Good Karma
