Recycle Cell Phones, Recycle Electronics, Recycle Computer Equipment Responsibly – Canon and Sony Electronics Trade-in program

Last Updates: 10/10/2018

China Doesn’t Want our Trash Anymore!

In July 2017, China filed notice with the TWO that it plans to limit entry of foreign waste.  This means that scrap and other recycling will be imported far less in the future.  As the top producer of waste, the US will have to find a new place to unload our recycling. The US exported $16.5 billion in scrap during 2016 with over 2/3 of that going to China.

China is setting up a rule that used plastics and paper scrap would have to meet a 0.3% benchmark for carried waste. (staples, glue, other residue)  This level is very difficult to achieve. In the future, other countries including India, Vietnam, will have to pickup the load.

Perhaps we should mandate the imported items from China must include US recycled content!

Recycle Shoes

Soles 4 Souls will recycle new and used shoes.  They send them to less fortunate people in other countries.

Electronics Recycling

New smartphones and gadgets like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy are popping up daily. Many owners of old iPhones will be upgrading, unleashing a wave of older models.  What do you do with the old iPhone? Time to recycle cell phones and recycle mobile phones. The digital TV transition caused many new TVs to be sold.  Time to recycle your TV.  Computer are getting faster and cheaper every year. Recycle computer equipment responsibly! Repairing is even greener.

Don’t forget to Secure your iPhone

Nokia has noted that only 3% of people recycle mobile phones. No doubt that this number is much higher, if your phone has value still.

A recent survey showed only 39% of people recycled their old electronics.  The main reasons not doing so were:

• I didn’t know how
• Didn’t get around to it
• Recycling is not available in my area

We are here to reinforce the importance of recycling and present a wide range of resources.

Recycling Solar Panels and Inverters will become more important in the coming years.  There are only a few places to recycle solar equipment right now.

Selling Unwanted Electronics

We suggest people first try to trade in or sell their old electronics.  Getting some money is better than ZERO. If your electronic gadget is broken, try fixing it first.

• Amazon – allows you to setup accounts and sell
• Craigslist – post an ad selling your unwanted items
• eBay – auction off your unwanted electronics
• Freecycle is a site that helps connect donors with recipients.

Places like TechForward sell Guaranteed Buyback plans for electronics. Lock in a future trade-in value on your gadgets. Amazon has a new electronics trade-in program. Recycling companies like gazelle will pay you to ‘recycle it’.

Trade in Your Unwanted Electronics and Cell Phones

Some stores and manufacturers allow you to trade in unwanted electronics and receive a gift card, good towards new merchandise. If the item is worthless, they will usually recycle it responsibly.

• Best Buy just started a new Buyback Program where you can get a gift card for bringing back items that you have purchased from them.  One caveat is that you need to pay extra to enroll in this program, although there is a promotion where it is free right now.  Return your notebook or TV or smart phone within 6 months and get 50% back, get 40% back if you wait up to one year, and so on.  This is a great program for people who don’t sell items on eBay,  where you could get more money, no doubt.
•  Costco has a new electronics Trade-In & Recycle Program powered by Gazelle. Another way to rid yourself of unwanted items. Responsibly trade-in electronic gadgets (such as laptops, cell phones, LCD monitors, digital cameras, MP3 players, gaming systems & more) for Costco Cash good for anything in Costco warehouses or at Costco.com. How much do you get?  We checked the value of a Canon SD1000 digital camera. They list it at $41 for one in good condition with all accessories. Used ones had been sold for $70 to $100+, so you are paying a hefty premium to use Costco’s convenience.
• Target – has an electronics trade in program where you can bring items in to the store to have them forwarded to their recycling partner
• Radioshack – has a trade in program for most electronics. Check with your local store
• Apple – accepts iPods, iPads, and iPhones as well as computers of any brand. You get a gift card if the product can be reused

Donate your obsolete electronics

• Goodwill – accepts many types of electronics. Check with your local location
• Salvation Army – also accepts electronics. Check your local location to see what they accept
• National Cristina Foundation – helps connect organizations that are in need of working electronics
• Recycling for Charities – helps you donate your item to a charity of your choice
• Cell phones for Soldiers – recycles cell phones so that active duty soldiers can get phone cards to call home
• Music & Memory – Gives iPods away to seniors, complete with customized music. Pre-paid envelope.

Not worth anything?  Donate your old Electronics. Be sure to wipe your hard drive with a program like DBAN first.

Digitaltips has a page of organizations that accept donations. EPA has a page about electronics recycling.

Responsibly Recycling Electronics:

Most towns and retailers have e-waste events, most are free, some require fees. It is important to find a responsible recycler, not just any company. You don’t want your old electronics shipped halfway around the world, ending up polluting some 3rd world country. Electronic products are full of toxic chemicals including lead, mercury, and many other heavy metals. Some developing countries extract the precious metals in electronics by burning them, sending toxins like dioxin into the air. Unused with those parts are dumped contaminating the area nearby.

To recycle electronics responsibly, they have to be disassembled and separated into each type of raw material. It is expensive and time-consuming to recycle you waste properly. In some countries, entire communities make their living by scavenging materials from old e-waste. Parts are burned to extract precious metals, creating toxic waste.

60 Minutes has a piece on why responsible electronics recycling is important.

cnet tv has a nice video with tips for recycling electronics.  The big problem area is finding a responsible recycler that will not dump items in 3rd world countries.

Recycle Cell Phones:

Drop off your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories at one of the retailers or service providers below. Erase your contacts and messages first.

AT&T – Best Buy – Office Depot

Sony Ericsson – Sprint – Staples

T-Mobile – LG Electronics – Verizon Wireless

Consider recycling it with a charity like CollectiveGood or recellular.

Recycle Electronics:

If you own a Canon digital camera, working or not working, you can send it back to Canon and get a nice discount on a refurbished digital camera. Call 866-443-8002 and tell them you have a dead Canon camera and want to learn about the Canon loyalty program to trade up to a more modern Canon digital camera.

Here are some National electronics recycle centers:

Waste management has a take back program for Sony TVs. LG, Zenith, Goldstar has the same program.

Samsung Recycling Direct has locations nationwide.

Sony has a new trade-in program powered by ecoNEW. Trade that old camera or something new and recycle your old product and planet friendly way. They even send you a prepaid shipping label, and give your trade-in reward as a prepaid Visa card.

MRM Recycling has recycling for Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba products. More than 30 drop-off centers in the Southeast have been added to the MRM Nationwide Recycling Program, which now totals 310 across all 50 states.

“Most MRM drop-off sites accept all types and brands of consumer electronics for recycling. MRM sites accept Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba brand TVs and consumer electronics such as VCRs and DVDs at no charge. There may be a charge for recycling other brands or products.”

CDs and DVDs can be recycled at most of these places. CD Recycling Center of America also recycles CD’s. Swap.com lets you trade books, movies, and music.

EPA and E-cycling has a list of recycling places.

Earth911.com has a list of local recycle centers.

Vacuum Cleaner Recycling

Vacuum cleaners are an electronic appliance that ends up in the land fill much more frequently than other appliances. They are heavily used and are extremely mechanical, leading to a shortened lifespan. Here are some tips extend the life of your vacuum cleaner:

• If your vacuum is losing suction power, check the filters, change the bags, and check the hose
• Avoid water or even damp debris, leave those for wet-dry vacs
• Do not use a power brush on hardwood floors
• Pickup hard or sharp objects, nails, screws, paper clips so they cannot damage your vacuum
• If your motor does not start, check your bags and filters, also check for a reset switch

San Francisco Bay Area electronics recycling resources:

Alameda County Computer Resource Center recycles e-waste in the East Bay

CalRecycle.org has links to local recycle centers

myecollective has recycling location around the US

ERecycle.org has links to California electronics recycle centers

Green citizen recycle computers and other products in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara

Sony Electronics Trade-in program

Sony has a new trade-in program powered by ecoNEW. Trade that old camera or something new and recycle your old product and planet friendly way. They even send you a prepaid shipping label, and give your trade-in reward as a prepaid Visa card.

Be sure to read our article:

Extend Battery Life, Laptop Battery Life, iPhone Battery Life

Posted on October 9th, 2017
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