Old Electronics Around the House? X Ways to Responsibly Recycle Them
Paper and plastic are easy to recycle. You throw them into the green bin with the recycling sign, and you’re pretty much done. Old electronics are a bit trickier to recycle responsibly. Still, it isn’t hard once you get the process down. Below are the x common ways to recycle old electronics.
Donate Old Electronics
Donating old electronics – especially ones that are still kicking – can be a great way to help the community and keep stuff out of landfills. Even if your old electronics don’t work, there is likely a charity or nonprofit out there that would happily take them off your hands. Consider taking a trip down to your local thrift shop, a major thrift chain like Goodwill, or your community center. Get this. You can even sell old electronics on eBay For Charity, where a part of the proceeds would go to a charity of your choosing.
Take Old Electronics to a Recycler
Another choice for reducing e-waste is to bring your old electronics directly to a recycler. There are no incentives for this choice, but this option is made easy by non-profits such as Call2Recycle. Call2Recycle has hundreds of drop-off locations across the United States where you can drop off old batteries and electronics to be recycled for you. All you need is a ZIP code, and you’ll be directed to the nearest drop-off location.
To find more local recycler options, a quick Google search might reveal something. If not, consider checking out the Computer Technology Association Recycler Locator or Earth991’s recycler database.
Take Old Electronics to a Tech Firm
Most major electronic manufacturers (think Apple, NVIDIA, Samsung, etc.) offer robust recycling programs for old electronics. Some programs may offer incentives for recycling while others tend to just take the old electronics off your hands. For instance, Amazon offers gift cards in exchange for almost any kind of old electronics, as well as music CDs and video games too. Office Depot and Staples have a similar program for printers and ink cartridges.
Need to find a tech firm that has a recycling program? This chart created by the Environmental Protection Agency lets you search for companies that offer these programs.