As much as I would like to segregate my trash, by the time I put them at the communal trash bin, they will all be messed up again. Recycling where I live still has a long way to go. In fact, recycling trash everywhere has been put into question lately as some reports are saying that it is something that will never work for various reasons. One reason for not segregating is the lack of containers and inconvenience. So if you’re still into recycling, this new product from the Magnuson Group may help you out at least in this aspect.
The Tribu system has modular sorting bins that are connectable and interchangeable. They come in different cover colors as well to help you out in segregating things like glass, plastic, metals, paper, biodegradable waste, etc. Each workstation lets you sort up to three different types of waste. Since it’s modular, you can mix and match the different parts and lid colors in case you need help in remembering which is which. There are different small bins that you can attach to each other. Later on, you can add more bins to it over time.
The bins are in different sizes so you can choose the bigger ones for items that you may have more of. For example, plastics take up more space compared to glass, unless you throw away glass materials more often. The bins and lids are made from various eco-friendly materials. The white and colored bins and lids are made from polypropylene or ABS while the black ones are made from recycled and recyclable polypropylene, in keeping with the recycling theme.
The Magnuson Group renamed the system into Sortmate and is now distributing and selling these. It’s simple and functional enough to incorporate into your house and your trash routine. Well, it will work only if you’re able to bring them to a recycling center directly. If you have to put them in a common trash space in your building, then it’s practically useless. But if you are able to, then these bins and lids can be useful for you and your household.
Some people joke that the world is fueled by coffee, but there is actually some truth to that. Health experts might be divided on the effects of the cup of liquid energy, especially in the long term, but there’s no denying that plenty of people depend on even just a single cup to get through their day. Unfortunately, the increasing demand for coffee and coffee-based drinks is negatively affecting the planet more than our bodies, thanks to various forms of waste related to the coffee economy. Thankfully, there are a few creative people who are finding ways to curb coffee’s negative impact on the environment, like turning used coffee grounds into home accessories that are not only beautiful but also functional as reminders to live a greener existence.
It’s easy enough to downplay the effect of coffee grounds on the planet. After all, they sound less harmful compared to the plastics and other materials used in delivering coffee in a cup. This organic material, however, does emit methane in landfills, contributing to one of the most potent greenhouse gasses that, in turn, further global warming. Given how much people use coffee today, that situation is probably going to get worse.
What makes this even more tragic is that coffee grounds actually still hold a lot of value even after they’re used. Not only do they still contain various aromas and flavors, but they can also be used as raw materials for creating other objects. They don’t have to go to waste, for all meanings of the word, and it takes only some motivation, creativity, and access to equally sustainable materials to turn waste into art.
Sarah Christensen has started creating everyday homeware out of these spent coffee grounds, but that material alone doesn’t exactly work well for solid objects. The designer also had to use Jesmonite, a popular eco-friendly, VOC-free, and non-toxic alternative to resin-based products. Coffee grounds are cast into sheets to be stored for later use and then later broken into chips. These serve as composite material for the objects ala terrazzo, where each product is 40% coffee grounds and 60% Jesmonite.
Christensen doesn’t simply make any everyday homeware either. She has focused primarily on plant pots in order to encourage indoor gardening hobbies and lifestyles. She also has some candle holders and soap dishes, too, both intended to tell the owner to take a slow down, step back, relax, and reflect on life and our impact on the world. Even if you don’t get those subtle hints and messages, it’s hard to ignore how beautiful these products are, with specs of brown that add character and points of interest to the smooth surfaces of the objects.
The story doesn’t end there, however, as the designer is trying to introduce these homewares into the circular economy. Broken pieces, for example, can be used for other things, like crocks in plant pots or material for buildings. This way, one can really say that coffee makes the world go round, even after the drink has long served its purpose of energizing you, perhaps to help make the world a better place.
Watches are often displayed as complicated objects, whether they’re the tech-laden smartwatches that are starting to become more common these days or the exquisitely beautiful mechanical watches that continue to enamor horologists and collectors. It’s against this backdrop that a few minimalist timepieces have popped up here and there as a sort of counter-movement to extravagances in design. Many of these minimalist watches stop at that, however, content with presenting a clean and beautiful product on the surface. Those, however, don’t change anything but their appearance, offering no lasting impact on the planet. That is the indifference that Solgaard is fighting against with a minimalist watch that is not only visually striking but is also helping save our oceans.
As far as appearances go, the Solgaard Shoreline is clearly not your run-of-the-mill watch. Eschewing the typical circle and square shapes of watches, this timepiece embraces more lines and angles with its hexagonal form. Only a single object juts out of the otherwise unbroken body of the watch, a ridged crown that shares the same hexagon shape as the watch’s body.
The entire watch shares the same ocean-themed color throughout, from the watch body to the strap to the crown. The watch face has a slightly lighter hue to make it a bit easier to see the watch’s hands. That said, instant visibility might be a problem because of that aspect. That’s where the choice of a hexagon comes in. It wasn’t made on a whim and is supposed to make it easier to tell the time at a glance because of the six corners and six sides that divide the surface into 12 hours. As long as you can discern where the hands are pointing in general, you’ll be able to tell the time with no difficulty.
What makes the Shoreline watch special is something that you can’t exactly see. The accessory looks like it’s made from plastic, and that isn’t far from the truth. Instead of regular plastic, however, the company uses a new material it calls Shore-Plast, which is made from recycled ocean-bound plastic collected from beaches and riverways. The strap, on the other hand, is made from naturally biodegradable silicone, so almost all parts of the watch are made from sustainable materials.
The Solgaard Shoreline isn’t all just looks and recycled materials, of course, and boasts of a premium Miyota three-hand quartz movement and waterproof for up to 165ft. The company is so confident about the quality of its watches, despite the stereotype around recycled materials, that it says that the Shoreline is guaranteed for ten years. The most important part about it, however, is how each watch is said to prevent as many as 229 plastic bottles from polluting the ocean, making the watch more than just a fashion statement but also a lifestyle choice, helping people do a small but important part in saving the environment while looking good at the same time.
They’re still not making easily repairable phones, but Google and Samsung are at least taking big steps in making these devices a little bit more sustainable.
Smartphones are no longer just novelties that only the affluent can afford, although there are definitely a few out there that fit the bill. These mobile devices, some of which have become as powerful as our computers, have become ingrained in modern life and almost indispensable tools in our pockets. While most tools, including PCs and laptops, seem to be built to last for as long as they can, smartphones, unfortunately, seem to be intentionally designed to be replaced when they break. Sure, they can be repaired, but the cost of repairs sometimes means that a new phone would actually be cheaper. That’s not even mentioning the rather laborious process of sending a device for repairs, which may sometimes end in violations of privacy. Smartphone repairs can add to the stress of a broken phone, but two of the world’s most famous tech companies are trying to change the status quo and make these devices easier and more affordable to fix than ever before.
Smartphones today are built in a way that prevents them from falling apart easily. They’re also sealed tight against dust and liquid that would otherwise destroy the phone from the inside. The side effect of making it more difficult to open up these phones for repairs. Gone are the days when you could simply pop off the phone’s back to change the battery. These days, you risk cracking the glass rear right at the start of the repair process.
That’s not the only consideration when repairing a phone, though. First-party repair services are often expensive and limited, especially for phones with limited availability like Google’s Pixels. There are quite a few third-party services and advanced consumers that are able to repair their phones on their own, but that practice is heavily frowned upon. There’s also the problem of getting genuine replacement parts, which most companies don’t sell to outsiders and unauthorized shops.
Google is trying to challenge that business model and has partnered with iFixit to sell those replacement parts, ranging from batteries to displays to cameras and more. This, of course, means that Google is giving blanket permission for anyone to repair their own Pixel phone, a trend that is thankfully gaining traction among the big smartphone makers. Apple kicked it off last year, and Samsung followed suit earlier this month, teaming up with iFixit as well.
Images: iFixit
Of course, this presumes that the phones are designed to be easily repaired, which isn’t generally the case. The Google Pixel 6 Pro, however, does diverge from the path that most phones take and have a few places where it does help facilitate self-repairs. We’re still far from the ideal, but at least some companies will no longer punish you if you repair your own phone yourself.
Samsung Recycled Replacemnts
Samsung is already ahead of the self-repair game, but it might be doing something extra special to really drive the sustainability message home. Making replacement parts easily accessible is definitely a good thing, but that also comes with the risks of increasing e-waste even more. With electronics getting thrown out and replaced easily, this new program might do more damage than it is meant to fix.
According to industry reports, however, Samsung might have a simple solution to that as well. The company has been making a lot of noise about its recycling and upcycling efforts, and it might apply those same processes to replacement parts. In other words, Samsung might introduce a program where it will provide certified recycled parts to be used for repairs and replacements.
In addition to the environmental benefits of such a program, using recycled parts could also be advantageous to consumers. It is projected that costs of repairs could almost be halved by using these parts. Not only does it make self-repairs more accessible and affordable, it also encourages such a culture of repair in opposition to current business models. Hopefully, both Google’s and Samsung’s efforts will bear good fruit so that they become role models on how to make smartphones more sustainable in the long run.
Earlier this year, Samsung made a lot of noise about its most recent effort in reducing its negative impact on the environment. Rather than reduce the number of phones it produces each year, which would have reduced the amount of plastics it uses, the world’s biggest smartphone maker turned to recycled plastics instead. Using responsibly sourced materials, however, is only one part of the sustainability equation. Reducing the number of smartphones and smartphone parts thrown out each year is an equally important part of that formula. That, in turn, would require that smartphones can get repaired for as long as they can, and Samsung is taking the rather bold step of giving people the ability to repair their phones on their own.
When it launched its new Galaxy S22 phone series, Samsung also boasted about the big change it’s making in its future phones and tablets. The plastics it will use in these devices will be made from recycled fishing nets rather than being produced from scratch. That hits two birds with one stone since it reduces the amount of new plastic being produced for new phones while also finding a new home for tons of discarded fishing nets that endanger marine life year after year.
Although it’s an important and significant step forward, it is still just one step. It doesn’t address the problem of smartphones and their parts being discarded on a regular basis, often because they can no longer be repaired or, worse, because it becomes cheaper to just buy a new phone rather than spend on first-party repairs. The fix here is to actually encourage a stronger culture of repairing phones rather than discarding them, and part of that means giving consumers the permission and the tools to repair their own devices without having to pay anyone, especially Samsung and its partners.
This “Right to Repair” is gaining strong momentum among consumers, businesses, and legislators, and Samsung is following Apple’s bold announcement last year that creates an official program to help owners repair their phones on their own, should they choose to go down that route. Samsung is pairing up with iFixit for guides on how to do exactly that, while the company will also provide tools and replacement parts for supported devices. At the moment, only the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21, and Galaxy Tab S7+ have been named to be included in this program.
Images courtesy of iFixit
Just as important as the ability to repair and replace broken parts is the responsibility of disposing of those components properly. Part of this self-repair program involves sending those broken or irreparable pieces back to Samsung, who will then dispose of or recycle them as necessary.
This is just the latest step in Samsung’s attempts to reduce its negative impact on the environment, going beyond reducing its carbon emissions. Although it initially ridiculed Apple for it, Samsung eventually jumped on the bandwagon and removed chargers from many of its smartphone boxes. It has also reduced not only the amount of plastic it uses in its phones’ packaging but also reduced the size of those boxes as well. It might not sound like much in isolation, but considering the fact that Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, every little bit adds up in the long run.
If you’ve been following the news here on Engadget, you know there are always new smartphones coming out to outshine your old handset and inspire some real gadget FOMO. But once you’ve upgraded, what do you do with your old phone? If it’s still in good working condition, chances are that someone out there is willing to shell out a few bucks for your castoff. And that goes for so much more than just phones since you can always find somewhere to sell your old laptops, game consoles and other electronics for a pretty penny. Learn about all of the places where you can sell your used gadgets below.
Trade-in sites
If you're looking for the least amount of hassle and easiest way to get money in hand as soon as possible, there are plenty of sites that automate the trade-in process. You'll select your device from a list, get a quote within minutes and send the device to the company in return for cash in a matter of days.
Decluttr
Decluttr definitely lives up to its name. Not only can you sell phones from a number of manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung and Google, but the site also takes lots of physical media, including CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, video games and books. For devices, you'll be asked to provide a general assessment of its condition before you’re given a quote immediately. Once you complete your order, the site will send you a free shipping label. Decluttr also will accept handsets as old as the iPhone 7, though it'll offer you only $14 for a 32GB model in good condition.
uSell
uSell operates as a broker, searching other sites for their best offers on a given device and taking care of the rest. Like most buyback sites, it's big on iPhones, but you can still sell off other manufacturers' devices; it really depends on who's buying them at that point. The selection is a bit of a grab bag — newer phones like the Galaxy S22 aren't listed, though you can get a quote for the iPhone 15 ($672 for an unlocked, “flawless” 64GB model). Once you complete your order the site will send you a free shipping kit to send in your device, and you can get paid for the item via PayPal, Venmo or an old-fashioned check.
ecoATM
If you don't want to have to worry about packaging up your old device and mailing it off, or would like to receive your payout right away, there's always ecoATM. It's literally all in the name: the company operates automated machines that you place your device into to get it examined, and it pays you out on the spot. It accepts the biggest brands (i.e., Apple, Google and Samsung), along with devices from a wide variety of manufacturers, including LG, Motorola and ZTE. If the machine determines that your device isn't worth anything at all, you can still use ecoATM to responsibly recycle your old gadget. You'll find ecoATM kiosks in Walmart and Kroger locations, as well as malls and check-cashing stores across the country.
Amazon
While browsing Amazon listings, it’s likely you’ve come across products marked as “refurbished.” Well, if you’ve ever wondered where those come from, a lot of them likely hail from Amazon’s trade-in program. The company will put its own products, like Kindle ereaders and Fire tablets front and center, but you can also send in phones and gaming products in for an Amazon gift card as well. It’s not great if you want cash, but if you’re looking to upgrade an Amazon device, this option is your best bet, as trading in an older one also nets you a 20 percent discount in addition to the store credit. You’ll need to print out a shipping label, or you can drop off your electronics at select Amazon Locker, Whole Foods or uBreakiFix locations.
Apple
This is a good option if you’re looking to upgrade to a newer Apple device. You can trade in iPhones, iPads, Macs and even Apple Watches. That’s notable as wearables are a category you don’t often see on trade-in sites. Apple will even take your old Android phone if you were thinking of making the switch. The trade-in values are on par with other sites, but you can get a smaller payout in the form of a gift card instead if you’d rather wait before making a new purchase, want to put it toward media purchases or even just use it in an Apple Store. The latter, by the way, also accepts trade-ins in case you’re not comfortable shipping your old but still expensive device.
It'sWorthMore
The nice thing about It’sWorthMore is that its on-site forms handle a larger variety of gadgets than other sites, incorporating companies such as Microsoft, AMD and even GoPro in addition to standards like Apple, Samsung and Google. You’ll answer a few standard questions about your device’s condition and whether you still have the original box — obviously, the more you’ve kept from the original packaging, the better. You’ll then get a ballpark estimate of its worth and a prepaid shipping label to print out. Once your device has been received, you’ll generally get the assessment and payment via check, PayPal, Zelle or a gift card in under 10 days.
BuyBackWorld
The appeal of BuyBackWorld is that device assessment is a streamlined process: Instead of having to answer a barrage of detailed questions for your device you give it a general assessment and let the site handle the rest. Just like with It’sWorthMore, BuyBackWorld will provide a printable shipping label in your confirmation email but, if you don’t have a printer or boxes to pack your device up, you can always have the site send you a free shipping kit, which can handle everything the site takes except desktop computers.
GadgetGone
If you’ve read through the other site descriptions, GadgetGone’s modus operandi should be familiar: To sell a product, you’ll have to answer a few questions about what type of device you have and what condition it’s in, after which the site will generate a prepaid shipping label. At least here you can find brands like OnePlus included among the options, and you can also sell MacBooks and Mac minis here. You can get paid a number of ways, too, including PayPal, virtual VISA card, Amazon and Target gift cards or just good, old-fashioned bank transfer.
Store trade-ins
Sometimes you need your money right now, or just don't want to trust your device to the vagaries of various shipping companies. There are a few nationwide retailers that accept trade-ins for cash or store credit. Additionally, wireless carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T will all give you credit toward a new phone.
Best Buy
Best Buy also offers trade-ins both by mail and in-store — with more than 1,000 locations, this might be extremely convenient for you. You fill out the form online and bring that to customer service. It's easy, but there's one big downside: You can get your payout only via a Best Buy gift card. This is great if you spend a lot of money with them anyway, but not ideal if you need cash.
Target
Target isn’t as well known for its trade-in program, but it’s certainly a welcomed option. With over 1,900 locations across the US, it’s easy enough to bring your unwanted phones, tablets, game consoles, smart speakers and video games to a nearby Target’s electronics department for a quote. They’ll even package it up and ship it off to the processing facility for you. You’ll get a Target gift card via email within a week. If you can’t make it to a store, Target also offers a mail-in option.
GameStop
GameStop is infamous for buying games back at ridiculously low prices and flipping them at near retail, but don't let that stop you from making some easy cash when you need to quickly clear your closet of old electronics and games. And yes, I said cash: GameStop offers store credit, a Visa prepaid card or actual money if you want to take your bounty elsewhere. For example, you can trade in Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Switch and get $35 in store credit or $24.50 cash, which isn't bad when new copies are going for $50 on Amazon. GameStop also accepts phones, tablets and Apple Watches, though the prices aren't going to match what you'd get from an online trade-in site.
Consumer to consumer
Sometimes you prefer to cut out the middleman and get a bit more personal — a transaction where you're selling your device directly to another person instead of letting a faceless site flip it for you as a "refurbished" unit. In those cases, you want a site that's more user-to-user, though a few will still automate certain bits to make your sale as smooth and secure as possible.
Swappa
Swappa is a marketplace site, which means sellers can set their own price. So if you're getting rid of a newer phone, this is probably the best way to go — the iPhone 14 fetches around $533, for example. That's a huge improvement over what you'd get selling through a site like Decluttr, which is offering only $267 for a 128GB unit.
Amazon
When shopping on Amazon, you've probably been tempted by some of those marketplace deals in the past and, chances are, if you list an item on there, someone will give your old device a look. Since almost everyone on earth seems to have an Amazon account, your potential customer base is huge, and it costs only $0.99, plus a percentage based on category, to sell an item through the site. The downsides are that Amazon isn't really optimized for individual sales; you'll be competing with wholesale companies and even bots that will tweak the price of a product automatically in response to the competition.
eBay
eBay is sort of the Wild West of sales sites, but the biggest advantage is that you can sell anything there and hopefully find a buyer, regardless of how old a product is. Even so, the site has come a long way in the past decade or so, adding structured categories that can help lead customers to your product. For phones, you can search by network, color or storage capacity, and even filter for features like 4K video or fingerprint sensors.
In the end, it still works as it always did: You list a product and set an end date for the listing with a minimum price, or just set a "Buy It Now" price if you don't want to wait to see how an auction turns out. Chances are you already have an eBay account with a feedback score, so there's no extra setup required on your part. Your first 250 listings are free every month, and you'll pay up to 15 percent of the purchase price only if an item sells. The biggest downside is that you're competing with a lot more sellers, and chances are there's always someone willing to undercut you on price.
Cash-back comparison
Ultimately, the site you go with should be whatever's most useful and convenient, but if you just care about how much money you'll get, we've priced out a few recent flagship handsets just to give you an idea of what each site will pay out.
All phone prices are for the lowest storage capacity, usually 128GB, and for devices that are in generally good condition with no cracks or scratches. The prices are for the unlocked models when available, or the carrier where it's being traded. These prices were valid the day this post was written, but they fluctuate daily or, in the case of sites like Amazon and eBay, hourly.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Google Pixel 7
Declutter
$361
$268
$153
uSell
$455
N/A
N/A
ecoATM
$275
$185
$55
Verizon
$364
$223
$127
T-Mobile
$315
$210
$115
AT&T
$330
$230
$130
Best Buy
$340
$235
$115
GameStop
$498 credit / $349 cash
$181 credit / $127 cash
N/A
Swappa
$664
$539
$293
Amazon
$578
$460
$229
eBay
$350
$340
$214
BuyBackWorld
$375
$275
$150
It'sWorthMore
$446
$382
$165
GadgetGone
$476
$411
$218
If you were looking to sell some games, we've also got a shorter list, because not every site accepts trade-ins. GameStop will offer you more money than what's listed below if you're a member of its Elite or Elite Pro programs.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)
Diablo IV (Xbox)
Decluttr
$20
$16
$18
GameStop
$30 credit / $21 cash
$17 credit / $12 cash
$12 credit / $8 cash
Amazon
$10 trade-in / $45 marketplace
$34 marketplace
$34 marketplace
eBay
$12
$10
$15
Once you've picked a site and listed your item, there are a few important things to remember before you ship off your device. At the top of the list is to do a full factory reset before disposing of a phone or laptop (or any other device) containing personal data. That also means turning off "Find My iPhone" and the activation lock on iOS devices. See if you can unlock the phone, too; you'll actually get more money selling it carrier-free. And finally, make sure you've backed up any important data you may have, like contact info, game saves and, of course, photos. Cash is great, but it won't save your memories.
Images: Mike Blake / Reuters (ecoATM); Alamy (Gamestop); Getty Images for eBay (eBay)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/where-to-sell-used-electronics.html?src=rss
We love tech of all shapes and sizes around here, but over the past decade it’s become increasingly obvious that our gadget fervor comes at a cost —especially when it comes to the environment. Metal and plastic don’t fully decompose over time, and almost everything we buy now has rare earth elements in it. But all is not lost as companies and consumers alike have become more cognizant of the problem, and offer possible solutions.
On your end, this means disposing of your old products responsibly, allowing companies and governments to reuse some components and dispose of others in a safe manner. That means taking the things you can’t give away or sell to a recycling center or, at the least, to a store that can pass it along for recycling. Check out our advice below on how to find a place that’ll take your old phones, computers and other broken or outdated gadgets.
National chains
There is no national electronics recycling law at this time, so you won't find any federal programs to assist you with getting rid of old devices. The USPS does run a program for federal agencies and their employees, but it's not available to the general public. Instead, the rest of us have to rely on nationwide retailers to toss out our old stuff.
Best Buy
With more than 1,000 locations in the United States, Best Buy may also be local to you, in which case, you can go to a location to drop off items to be recycled. You just need to take it to the customer service counter. They'll issue you a receipt too, but keep in mind that you can't claim the drop-off as a deduction on your taxes because Best Buy isn't a charity.
As of 2023, Best Buy also has a mail-in option. You can purchase a small- ($23, up to 6 pounds) or medium-sized ($30, up to 15 pounds) box from the retailer, fill it up with as many approved gadgets as you can (while staying under the weight limit) and ship it back to Best Buy to be recycled. You can either drop off your boxes at a UPS drop-off point or schedule a UPS pickup (do not drop the boxes off at a Best Buy store).
You can even recycle televisions and monitors, though in most places you'll be charged a fee of $30 per item to cover the higher costs of transporting and disassembling them. Best Buy’s in-house TV brands of Insignia and Dynex will always be accepted for free, though, as long as they’re smaller than 49 inches. (Consumers in California are not charged the $30 fee, while locations in Pennsylvania charge the fee but in return offer a $30 gift card as reimbursement. Connecticut locations will only accept Insignia and Dynex sets for recycling.) If you're turning in any desktops, laptops or PC gaming accessories, you’ll get a voucher for 20 percent off toward the purchase of a new Logitech mouse, keyboard, webcam or headset. Just be aware that Best Buy limits you to three items per household per day, including up to two televisions.
Staples
Recycling your stuff at Staples is similar to Best Buy — just bring your products to the checkout counter and an associate will help you out. But you can only bring in seven items a day, and the store won’t accept televisions at all (monitors are allowed). Staples Easy Rewards members also receive points for bringing in goods to be recycled or shredded; the points can be redeemed at checkout for discounts on purchases (200 points = $1 off).
If you can’t make it to a store, Staples also offers a mail-in program. You’ll need to purchase a recycling box first, which start at $20 for a small box and go up to several hundred for a full pallet (only available for commercial locations). You can put as much as you want into a box as long as it fits inside and doesn’t exceed the weight limit (a large box can accept up to 70 pounds). A “serialized” option is also available for an additional charge, which includes an inventory list for everything you send back. The boxes are shipped to you and then back to Staples at no extra cost;, just drop off the sealed packages at your local UPS drop-off point or call for a pickup.
Office Depot
Office Depot has more than 1,300 locations, but unlike Staples and Best Buy, it won't recycle your old gadgets for free. If you're only getting rid of a few phones or batteries, those can be turned in at any store for no charge. For everything else, you must purchase a Tech Recycling Box ($8.39 for small, $18.29 for medium, and $28 for large) even if you’re already at the store. Once you have the box, you can fill it with as many items as you can fit inside, including smaller televisions, as long as it doesn’t exceed the weight limit. So it's a great deal if you have a lot of stuff you want to dispose of. These must be turned in at an Office Depot store; an associate will check to make sure all the items are acceptable and prepare the box for shipping (you’ll be asked to fill out a form).
You can also return used ink and toner cartridges and get $2 each, up to 10 a month, if you’re a rewards member and spend at least $10 in-store on products within the same month.
Home Depot and Lowes
You can dispose of old rechargeable batteries, old phones and CFL bulbs in the dropoff boxes at any of 2,300 Home Depot or 2,200 Lowe’s locations. The bins are usually located in the front of the store, and Home Depot has an 11-pound limit on individual items.
Target
Target locations have drop-off bins for recyclables located near the entrance; in addition to bins for paper and plastics, there is a specially-designated bin for e-waste like cellphones and used ink cartridges.
Manufacturers
If you can't make it to a retail location, especially when you need to get rid of only one or two items, many companies offer recycling programs for their own products. They'll even pay for shipping. Some run their own programs while others use outside organizations. We've outlined policies from a handful of manufacturers below.
Amazon
Amazon would love for you to use its trade-in program and, if you’re looking to recycle Amazon-branded products like Kindles, Fire TVs and even Ring doorbells, you absolutely should. Amazon will send you a gift card as well as promotional discount to use on a future Amazon device purchase, even if the returned product is non-functional.
For products from other manufacturers that can’t be resold, Amazon offers mail-in recycling. You can send in your busted phones and tablets, as well as select peripherals like keyboards and mice. You'll just need to fill out some forms online and generate a shipping label, which you can slap on any box. Drop it off at a UPS location, and you're good to go; Amazon will cover all the costs.
Apple
Apple
If your iPhone or MacBook is still in good shape, you should consider selling it, but if it's too old or beat up you can still score a gift card by turning it into Apple's recycling program. For iPhones (as well as select handsets from Samsung and Google) and iPads, you'll be asked to fill out a form attesting to the product's condition and given a trade-in quote (at the time of writing this, a working iPhone 8 goes for $50 and an iPhone 12 scores you $220). For Macs and Apple Watches, you'll be asked to provide a serial number as well. Though Apple won't give you cash for anything it deems too old, broken or otherwise unacceptable, you can still mail it in or bring it to any Apple Store so it can be responsibly disposed of.
Dell
Dell offers drop-off recycling via a partnership with Goodwill. Not every location participates, but there are more than 2,000 that do. And, because it's a charity, you may even be able to deduct it as a donation on your taxes. Dell also has a mail-back program on its site where you can generate and print out a shipping label and drop the package off at a FedEx location instead.
Epson
You can ship old products back to Epson by simply creating a shipping label on its site and dropping it off at a FedEx location. If you’re located in New York, you can even get free packaging sent to you by calling 866-922-8252. Epson also recommends getting in touch with a local charity via Digitunity, where your old equipment may be refurbished for use by people in need.
HP
If you can, HP recommends taking its products to the nearest Best Buy. HP does have a trade-in program, but it’s geared toward business customers looking to upgrade equipment that still has market value and individual consumers will be redirected to other recycling methods.
Ink and toner cartridges can be returned by mail; the company will mail you an envelope that can hold between 3 and 8 ink cartridges and can be dropped off in a mailbox or at the post office. For toner and large quantities of ink cartridges, you can print out a label and use your own box, or request a box be sent directly to you, which you’ll fill with items and drop off at a UPS location.
Other manufacturers
Many other companies use outside recyclers to dispose of their products, and you'll often see the same names popping up again and again across different manufacturers. This should simplify things in some cases — you should be able to send in products from multiple sources in one package. You just need to fill in the make and model to generate a prepaid shipping label. However, different states have different rules on what you can return, so the drop-downs for selecting your product may vary by area.
Two major recycling companies you'll notice a lot are RLG, which covers Acer, Canon, Google, Intel, Lenovo, and Microsoft, and MRM, which recycles products for Brother, Hisense, Hitachi, HTC, Logitech, Panasonic, TCL and Wacom.
States
There may not be a national law dictating that you must recycle your electronics, but at least 26 states have passed rules that vary widely on what they demand of manufacturers and consumers. Almost all states that do collect products for recycling provide this service free, with the bill footed by the companies in some way. Most provide some local programs to help you get rid of your stuff, regardless of whether recycling your gadgets is required or optional.
The following states have some special circumstances worth noting:
Connecticut
Does not allow recycling centers to charge you a fee for turning in electronics, so many organizations and retailers that would usually charge for recycling televisions and monitors do not accept them. Because you cannot dispose of them curbside, you can take them to a municipal transfer station for free.
New York
New York State has a law making it illegal to charge a fee at recycling centers, so this is your best bet for disposing of old televisions (retailers can still charge for the service). If you live in a New York City apartment building with 10 or more units, contact your landlord about getting an ecycleNYC drop-off box installed in your building. It’s super convenient and free.
Pennsylvania
Does not allow retailers to charge you a fee to recycle, so places like Best Buy and Staples will not accept most televisions or monitors. Many recycling centers have also closed as a result of underfunding, so check the list of open locations first. Some nonprofit recyclers may still accept the items, and you should check to see if your local government is hosting any drop-off events. Lancaster and Dauphin Counties also still run civic recycling programs.
Virginia
This state does not have a dedicated statewide recycling program, but some localities run their own programs including Fairfax, Loudoun and Rockbridge counties, and cities like Arlington. Check each municipality’s site for details.
Cell phones
Cell phones are the easiest gadget to recycle — if you haven't already decided to sell yours off on eBay or via sites like Decluttr and ecoATM. But, if you can't or won't make some cash off of it, you can send it to:
Call2Recycle, which has drop-off centers all over the country in many chain stores, including Lowes and Home Depot. It will also accept rechargeable batteries.
Cell Phones for Soldiers accepts phones in any condition and sells them to refurbishers or recyclers. The proceeds go toward purchasing phone cards for troops so they can call their friends and family back home. To be clear, the phones are not given directly to the soldiers.
The three major US carriers — Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — all offer free recycling. You can trade in your old device in-store or send it in for a credit toward a new phone, or let them straight up recycle it. AT&T also participates in Cell Phones for Soldiers.
If you do decide to try your luck with ecoATM to see if your old phone is still worth a few bucks and it turns out it's worth nothing, you can at least rest easy knowing that the company will also recycle your phone responsibly.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/where-to-recycle-electronics.html?src=rss
Plastic is almost impossible to get rid of at this point in human history. Despite their known negative effects on the environment, they are still one of the most widely-used materials because of their often superior properties. As part of efforts to at least reduce the amount of new plastics produced and wasted, some have put their focus on recycling plastic instead. Finnish energy company Fortum is showcasing one such material in a chair that has been designed to send a message of resilience and named after an athlete that embodies what it means to make a comeback.
In the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich, Finnish long-distance runner Lasse Virén fell in the middle of the 10,000-meter finals. Not only did Virén get up to finish the race, he actually won the gold for that event and set new records, some of which he still holds today. Fortum chose to name its revolutionary chair after the famed athlete as the Virén Chair represents standing up again, without external help.
Some chairs have the tendency to topple over, but none are able to get up on their own, not unless there is some clever robotics involved. Fortum, however, decided to use the very laws of physics that caused the chair to fall down to also raise it up on its own. The chair simply uses the momentum of the fall to roll on its back, where a specially-designed structure causes it to roll upright again.
This “self-rising” action isn’t the only metaphor that can be associated with Virén. Even the very design of the chair is a nod to dynamism and motion. The legs of the chair, for example, almost look like a runner’s in the middle of a sprint.
Fortum is also using the Virén Chair to stand up for a sustainability push, one that uses its plastic recyclate to produce more complicated forms and products. Recycle plastics are not new, of course, but their use has often been limited to simpler applications. Fortum’s Circo, which mixes post-consumer plastic waste with other materials, like cellulose fiber, was created to push the envelope of where recycled plastics can be used.
In truth, the Virén Chair is a showcase of the Fortum Circo can do, particularly in how it can be used to design products with more challenging shapes. Unfortunately, that also means it isn’t yet a product you can buy but more of a prototype for Fortum’s clients to examine. Hopefully, that won’t be the case forever, and we’ll soon see the Virén Chair rise up to the challenge of selling recycled plastic chairs in the mass market.
In case you’ve been fed up with all the minimalist products you see in stores, these limited edition custom-made lamps could help give your a more retro sci-fi feel.
There is no shortage of lighting solutions and concepts to feast our eyes on these days, but more often than not, they lean towards the most popular design language in the past decade or two. On the one hand, minimalist designs are easier to fit into almost any room or furniture motif compared to products that embrace a very specific aesthetic. On the other hand, some people feel the need to have lamps that have a bit more personality. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of designs that cater to almost every fandom in existence.
Designer: Martin Metal Art
Take these table lamps that require you to have rather large tables to accommodate them. Or at least a surface dedicated exclusively for these hulking light sources. You will also need a bit of vertical space, as many of these custom-made lamps are designed to be tall. They actually come in many shapes and sizes, but the one thing they have in common is that they look like something straight out of an atompunk or dieselpunk world.
In contrast to the more popular cyberpunk and steampunk genres, atompunk and dieselpunk sit somewhere in between these two extremes, set in an alternative timeline where technology has advanced far enough to support electric-powered machines, whether from fuel or nuclear energy. Unlike cyberpunk, machines are often portrayed as still crude and relatively primitive. In contrast to steampunk, however, surfaces are often more polished and less gritty.
These limited edition lamps effectively convey the appearance of appliances that seemed to be stuck in time between the past and the future. Perforated metal surfaces, decorative coils, and glowing tubes all work to furnish a retro-futuristic appearance that definitely exudes a unique personality. More than just light sources, these atompunk lamps call attention to themselves, becoming the visual center of the room and a definite conversation starter.
The bases for these lamps are actually made from 1960s battery chargers, embellished with custom-made stainless steel sheets, aluminum bars, and, unfortunately, some plastic. That base structure also means that supplies are limited to how many 60s battery chargers the designers can get their hands on at a time. These factors do make the lamps more expensive than most designer products, but these one-of-a-kind items are exactly the kind that collectors and zealous fans fight tooth and nail over.
In the past couple of years, the definition of the office environment has drastically changed. We are more rooted to our seats than ever before as the digital work age transports us into a new era. A good, comfortable office chair can instantly increase productivity, thanks to the comfort it guarantees. But to fill the void for a comfortable seat with a more adaptive and less space occupying option, a designer has envisioned an ergonomic stool that will adapt to the user’s body movement during long periods of sitting.
Designed to guarantee comfort and instantly increase concentration and physical fatigue, the Axis stool is, according to the designer, the first ergonomic stool created from sustainable materials. The stool is intended primarily for the demanding needs of a flexible office environment, for which, it is made lightweight and stackable – two essentials of a modern office where space comes for a premium.
In addition to its ergonomic design, sustainability is at the Axis’s core. The seat is made from injection molding bio thermo-polymer, which makes it a biodegradable and recyclable seating unit for the greener offices of the future. To create more impact with little mechanical intervention, the entire stool – the base and the seat – are held together using a single screw. The convenient manufacturing makes it possible that the specially engineered seat on the top can tilt in any direction so the users don’t feel the pressure while leaning from one desk to another. The base and the seat are placed inches apart from each other to allow 360-degree tilting without friction between the two components.
Axis is by virtue then, comfortable enough to let you work efficiently for long hours, albeit a backrest. The firm base of the stool keeps it sturdy on the ground, its lightweight structure permits it to be stacked up after use, while the eco-friendly construction ensures the stool can be completely recycled at the end of its life cycle.
