If you have An old languid phone in a desktop drawer or a broken laptop bringing together dust at the back of a cupboard, there will never be a better time to eliminate it. There is a good chance that your unwanted gadget can return to a useful service, and it can even make you some money or help someone else. Recycling should be the last recourse, but if there is nothing else for your gadget, there are ways to recycle electronics in a responsible manner.
Global electronic waste exceeded 50 million metric tonnes in 2019, according to the United Nations Global Electronic Waste MonitorAnd only 17.4% of this waste was collected and recycled. Too much old electronics are found in discharges and E-wish waste scissors where they poison communities. The problem is only getting worse. THE Electrical and electronic waste equipment forum (weekends) estimates that 5.3 billion phones abandoned the use in only 2022. Governments, companies and people wake up that we have to do better. The big question is, how? Here are some resources, services and ideas that can help you.
Updated in February 2025: we added advice on recycling electronics and details on a new battery recycling program.
Use devices longer
Before throwing devices, remember to use them a little longer. Do you really need to upgrade? Maybe you can Reuse your old device To extract more life. You could Transform this old phone into a webcamFor example. If you died on shopping for a new device, do your research to find Ethical and ecological electronics. Look for manufacturers and retailers with trade and recycling programs.
Consider Buy products used on ebay or other markets, or search for renovated gadgets. Manufacturers like Apple And Samsung Offer renovated devices at reduced prices, and you can find charges of Renovated goods on Amazon. Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability ifixitrecommended Rear market For renovated phones.
Scheme
Speating devices to family members, friends and neighbors who can use them is the best way to remove the maximum value. “Do not leave the devices hibernate in a drawer or a cupboard and the waste,” explains Jeff Seibert, who works at Seri (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International). “Put them in someone else’s hands that can use them as quickly as possible because older devices get, the less it can have a positive impact.”
If you don’t know anyone who can use your old electronics, try it FREECYCLE network or local Buy nothing groups On Facebook to find people interested in gifts.
Repair and renovate
Whether you plan to tighten just over a device, you want to send it to someone or plan to sell it, repair it or renovate it first is an intelligent decision. If you want to try to repair a device, ifixit is an excellent starting point. It has more than 90,000 repair guides step by step covering phones, tablets, laptops, computers, game consoles and cameras.
YouTube is another excellent place to find repair videos, and Chamberlain recommends checking repair technicians like Louis Rossmann,, Jessa Jones,, Ben’s devices and garbageAnd Rich rebuildsBut there is no shortage of repair videos for the specific gadget you are looking for.
