Recycling Old TVs, Cell Phones, and Other Gadgets

by POPSUGAR Tech 24

The wild world of tech moves fast — too fast for some of us — and we're either faced with feverishly upgrading, or being the butt of the slow-moving gadget joke among friends (sample: "Zach Morris called, and he wants his cell phone back.")

But we must eventually upgrade most of our tech, whether it's for speed and capability, a government mandate, or a new hot phone you can't live without. I've recycled cell phones, given my old desktop to a younger sibling, sold TVs on Craigslist, and dropped VCRs off at thrift stores. Any way you can recycle a gadget, I've done it — but I have not thrown a gadget in the dumpster in years and years. Because it's Earth Day, I will solemnly swear that I never will in the future, either. You should go for it, too — and even if you can't get to a recycling center, there's a ton of ways to recycle your old tech! But tell me, what do you do now with gadgets you're done with?
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24 Comments

cmorgan321 5 years

I never waste or throw out any of my gadgets. I put them to good use usually jimmy-rigging them into new uses with other old gadgets. But I do have a few that I keep as keepsakes of my most memorable times through the gadgets that were there with me.

potc crazyy 5 years

I usually play with my old gadgets along with my geeky boyfriend (:

wickedcupofjoe 5 years

@niche - I have my commodore64 too! LOLAll my old electronics are in the garage. I can't part with them. :| Old cell phones were passed to the kiddo to play with, so I'm betting there are about 4 or 5 in the toy box.

mayara 5 years

Use them, mod them -- it depends. That reminds me, I've got an old Pong game waiting for a case mod.

EvilDorkGirl 5 years

I've done a little of all 3. Right now I'm trying to make sculptures out of old computer parts that my company was scrapping.

ktownpolarbear 5 years

the only old gadgets i've ever had were cell phones, and they get recycled at the store.

niche 5 years

We don't get rid of old electronics. I still have my Commodore C64. My husband's dream is to have a room in a house just dedicated to old out of date electronics. He also turns VCRs into robots and 80s boomboxes into ipod speakers.

stone_soup 5 years

The main problem I have is that I have NO idea what to do with them.

supercoolnat 5 years

A combination of the above. Cell phone - cell phone recycling program at work. Old laptop - recycled thru Dell, sold accessories (ethernet card, etc.) on eBay. Old desktop - donated. TV - sold on Craigslist.

Performita 5 years

Usually I keep them all (4 old Macs) but the iBook I gave as a gift because it is still very usable. The thing with Macs generally is that they (if used properly) last for years, and can be used. For some people getting a Mac even 3 or 4 years old is a great gift, so I'm thinking to give this present MacBook black as a gift as soon as I buy new one this days :)But one computer is never leaving my home, and will have a special pedestal to stand on it - its my princess PERFORMA :)All my ex mobile phones are given as gifts to friends and family, and my iPods are sold for half the price I bought them... Let me think... Yes, TV sets and DVD Players, the previous models - also given as gifts cause they still work perfectly...Not everyone is as tech obsessed as me, so they really don't mind if it's few years old stuff, because they know I buy only the best brands which really can last!

tdamji 5 years

my old ps1 i donated, and i gave my old PC to my mom. our old g4 tower we use sometimes for scanning, but plan to sell it eventually. our old g4 laptop is what we use for playing music to our stereo. we still use our old camera when we are split up and both need cameras (visiting different relatives etc). i have sold a few other things on craigslist. the only old gadget i have and don't use is greg's old cell phone. we should really donate it.

kissmesteph 5 years

If at all possible, I donate my used electronics to charity, especially computers. I'm such a geek that I always have the latest and greatest, so by the time I upgrade, my toys are still useful for someone else.

MandyJoBo 5 years

If they're still worth more than $200, I sell them. If not, I gift them. If no one wants them I donate them.

MissMarisol 5 years

Usually pass them down to my family.

shanimalcracker 5 years

I donated three old cell phones to an adult literacy program that my office sponsored. However, to be honest, old electronics (before these recycling programs became well known) are either lying around the house or were thrown away at some point. That won't happen again. :)

GoingLikeSixty 5 years

Please remember to donate old cell phones to CellPhonesForSoldiers.com.They pay for shipping. Phones are recycled and money used to buy phone cards for troops.Thanks.

hkmarks 5 years

Most of them go into storage or I sell them in a neighborhood garage sale. I gave my last cell phone to the cell store, who gave it to a women's shelter. My last computer, around 5 years ago, I stripped out the parts that I still wanted (the hdd, CD drive, and floppy drive -- which I put in my new whitebox). Then I put out by the curb a day early, and someone picked it up. But, a couple months ago, after trying unsuccessfully for 3 months to find someone who'd recycle or reuse an old CRT monitor (which I myself bought at a garage sale for $10 a year earlier), I had to throw it out. ARGH.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 5 years

I'm still using a Alf phone for my business line

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