Sell Or Recycle Your Old Gadgets

[Csara]

My husband and I both recently got new cell phones. In the past, I think I would've just left my old one to lay around or gave it to my kid to play with. Not anymore. The new phone came with a recycling bag that I can just send it back to the company to be recycled. Love that idea. I could also sell it back and get a credit to my account. Either way, I'm doing something with it, rather than ignoring it and collecting more unneeded and unwanted junk.

Everything from cell phones to laptop computers are full of hazardous materials that pose serious risks to human health and the environment. The growing concern 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.

[meliz]

Our province will on Feb 1 implement a new at-purchase fee that goes to pay for the recycling/safe disposal of electronics. I think it ranges from a 5$ for a laptop, I think $20 for a PC and $45 for a widescreen TV. It will eventually be expanded to include all electronics. I think this is a WONDERFUL idea, IF that money is actually used for such programs. Problem is, although the policy is about to be initiated, the government has not yet told us where we can take this old stuff to be reused/recycled/disposed of safely. Sigh. Such is the ineffectiveness of government.

[Turtleheadfred]

Our last cell phones we sold on EBay to recoup some of the money... they were brand new but didn't work for us. And we've given some away to college students we know that couldn't afford "new" phones but our old ones were better than what they had.