New Gadget? Sell or Recycle Your Old One
If you’re expecting to find some new toys under the tree this year, now’s the time to learn what you should do with your old ones.
Got a new gadget? Congratulations! Now, what to do with that old one? You might be able to sell it for a few bucks. At the very least, recycle it.
Most of us do neither, of course. Instead, our old gadgets sit in a box or drawer just in case they … well, just because they might … well, that's just where old and outdated gadgets go. Don't they?
Not anymore, according to a rising chorus of activists and entrepreneurs eager save the environment from toxic pollutants such as lead and mercury – and stuff their pockets with green cash.
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Everything from cell phones to laptop computers are full of hazardous materials that pose serious risks to human health and the environment, according to Trey Granger, a spokesman for Earth 911, an environmental information supplier that advocates the elimination of electronic waste.
The growing concern, Granger says, is that gadget hoarders will eventually run out of space and "take a bunch of stuff at once and fill their landfill." Don't do it. Resell or recycle them instead.
Cash it in
"There is always a market for electronics in a second-hand atmosphere," Granger says.
Do-it-yourselfers can sell their used gadgets on sites such as Amazon, eBay or Craigslist, though the process can be a hassle of approvals, creating a listing and interacting with potential buyers. That's when Web sites such as Second Rotation come in handy.
The Waltham, Mass.-based company "gives an economic incentive for people to recycle," says Rousseau Aurelien, the founder and chief executive officer. "We know that manufacturers are producing products so quickly and they are so attractive that consumers are buying new products while they still have something else that is functional."
The company accepts gadgets for resale or recycling in seven categories: cell phones, Apple laptops, gaming consoles, digital cameras, MP3 players, camcorders and GPS devices.
