Do you have several old cell phones, a pair of broken headphones, or perhaps an old Playstations unit that doesn't function anymore? While you may think that there is no use for these gadgets, experts in recycling say otherwise. Can they serve a more useful purpose by sitting in the night drawer or worse being thrown into trash like it was nothing.
When you get rid of old gadgets, they usually end up in the landfill and do more harm to the environment than you expect. In general, these electronic wastes come with toxic chemicals with them like mercury, lead and chromium to name a few. Human exposure to these harmful chemicals can cause detrimental effects on both the reproductive and the nervous system. Children exposed to these harmful chemicals can become very vulnerable.
The worst part of it is that people produce more than 50 million tons of electronic waste from across the continents, endangering the communities that may be exposed to them. But don't fret just yet. There is use for these old devices according to Chase Freeman, the EcoATM spokesperson. The EcoATM is a kiosk that focuses on recycling old electronic devices either to be sold as is or traded for its parts.
"The device could get a second or third chance at life. Not everyone in the world can afford to buy a new iPhone," Freeman said. "Some people might find other use for that old Nokia phone of yours and you don't have to discard it to help save the planet."
However, Freeman notes how important it is to scrub off all the necessary information you may have stored on these devices. It will help if you transfer those old file photos to another memory like your hard drive or Google Drive. Perhaps you can also save it to your iCloud or any other self place you can store your data.
Consumer Reports writes how valuable it is to scrub off your device of all necessary data to avoid the risks of data breach. There are a number of electronic stores that accept old electronic devices for recycling or trade-in. Once you have decided to part ways with your old phone, you are lucky because there are a number of options for you. For both electronic stores and recyclers, your old device looks pretty valuable.
Apple has an extensive trade-in program where they accept electronic brands of any type in exchange for a gift card you can use for future purchases of Apple products. The Amazon also accepts trade-in of products and offer free shipping for that too. They appraise your item first and give you a pre-paid label as to how much they are willing to buy it. With a few clicks of a button, you can get yourself a new item from the Amazon and enjoy its free shipping too.
Proper recycling of these old electronic devices must be exhausted to help save the environment. Not only are you keeping the toxic chemicals from spreading, but you are helping keep the world a safer place for everyone.
