What to do with that old phone

Apple has always said that they recycle products responsibly but it’s only been until recently that they have been making a big push into recycling products responsibly. They even made this fancy marketing video to show off the line of robots they’ve built that takes devices commissioned for recycling and takes them apart and finally what it does with the materials. You can check it out here.

Image credit: Apple Website

It’s pretty cool that companies offer this, because they realize that their products are part of the environment problem. Our use and throw away culture is also an issue. They build devices which can harm the environment in the process, but what happens to the end result? It normally ends up in landfill. Here, we know where the device is going and what is happening to it in Apple’s case. I have first hand experience with purchasing a iPhone from Apple and them offering to send it off for recycling for a credit on my new purchase, super easy and something every company should offer.

But what if a company doesn’t offer that or you don’t want to give up your old device? Well, there’s a few things that you could do:

1. Give to a family member who needs a phone or doesn’t have one. That is an excellent way to handle this situation, but again, just be sure at the end of the device’s life to have you or the person you gave it to recycle it properly. This is how I’ve gotten each of my phones until I could buy my own.
2. Save it, in case yours breaks at any point, but at the end of it’s life find a way to responsibly recycle it.
3. Donate it to organizations like Cellphones for Soldiers or NCADV.
4. Find a e-recycle location near you that specializes in taking care of recycling electronics.

This just doesn’t apply to recycling phones, but any electronics for that matter. Just be sure to not toss electronics in the trash and educate yourself on what happens to and where these devices go after you are done with them.