Do you have a pile of old gadgets in the store room and do not know what to do with them? Well this article will give you different ideas on how you can recycle and reuse your old gadgets.

E-waste refers to discarded electronic equipment accumulating in landfills without being properly recycled. Without proper recycling, these electronics take up precious space in landfills and pose a risk to the environment.

E-waste is a problem because many tech devices use mercury, or some other element like lithium, copper, palladium, lead and cobalt, in order to function. These chemicals are scarce, but they’re also extremely important in creating the products we use every single day so they shouldn’t go to waste. Not to mention, these chemicals can be hazardous to the environment if they seep into the land, air, and water.

To minimize the risk, here’s how you can be creative in reusing your old devices or smartly recycle them.

1. Sell

Instead of just throwing off the old gadgets in the bins, why not try to sell it on online sites like Ebay, Cashify, ReGlobe etc. These websites pay you money in return for the old gadgets. You can also put an ad on Craigslist or another similar resale website. There are also people who buy old electronics as well. These people buy your old electronics from you, refurbish them, then resell them to someone else. Some of those people actually recycle old electronics for a living.

2. Return Exchange Program

In most of the countries, the government have enforced strict rules for handling of E-waste. As part of these rules, the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) program puts the responsibility of collecting and handling the e-waste. Hence the manufactures run the buyback and recycling programs so that they can collect the e-waste and manage it in an environmental friendly manner. Hence you can look out for exchange programs and will take back your old electronics when you buy a new one. Depending on the type of item how old it is, the companies will refurbish and resell it, or, if it’s not able to be refurbished, they will send them to a recycling center if they are not already an electronic waste recycler themselves.

3. Donate

Your waste can be other people’s usable item. You may have discarded your old laptop or cellphone for a latest model and technologies. But the old one can be of use to some people who cannot afford to buy such gadgets. There are NGOs who work with schools that simply don’t have the funds needed to buy them either. You can donate your old working gadgets to such NGOs, who refurbish them, then give them to those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford them.

4. Repurpose

There are lot of innovative ways in which you can repurpose your old mobiles, laptop, tablet etc. For instance, you can turn your old phone into a webcam for your Zoom meetings or even a home security camera. It can also be used as a security camera or a baby monitor. An old tablet can be used as an e-reader or even a digital photo frame. The monitor from your old PC setup can also be used as an extended display for your laptop owing to its size.

5. Send it to Recycling Center

The best way to recycle your old electronics is to use a professional recycling service. The process is as simple as contacting them for a pickup or visiting their collection centers to drop off your old devices. These professional services has their procedures which ensure that all the data present in the device is erased out and prevent it from getting into wrong hands.

Which Electronic Devices can be Recycled?

The following tech devices can be reused, repurposed, or recycled:Where Can You Take Old Electronics for Recycling?

• Laptops
• Tablets
• Routers
• Cell phones
• Cables
• Chargers
• Televisions
• DVD or Blu-ray players
• CDs
• Speakers
• Voice assistants
• Game consoles
• Headphones
• Earbuds
• Wearable gadgets
• Cameras
• Camcorders
• Office equipment
• Appliances

Where Can You Take Old Electronics for Recycling?

You can find many recycling or collection centers in your city with the help of a directory. Nowadays many online processes are setup as well, where you just need to book a pick up and the center guys will arrange a pickup of the e-waste from you home.

You many try some of these stores

• Apple stores
• Best Buy
• Target
• Office Depot
• Telecommunications companies
• TerraCycle
• Earth 911
• RecycleNation
• Call2Recycle
• ExtraCarbon 
• Karma Recycling
• Eco-Tech Recycling
• Attero

Final Thoughts

People are always looking for gizmos and gadgets, even if they’re gently used. There’s no reason why you should be throwing electronics into the garbage! Donate them, turn them into cash, or find a repurposing project. Your last resort should be bringing your gadgets to a recycling facility near you.