Repurposing and Recycling Electronics

I try to live a green lifestyle but I will be the first to admit that my family uses many electronics. There are benefits to having them and we try to be eco-friendly by conserving our energy use, buying Energy Star products and repairing instead of trashing and buying new. There are many ways you can repurpose or recycle your electronics when you're done as well.

Here are some green ideas for repurposing and recycling your electronics:

Repurpose

When you can, it always helps to repurpose your electronics instead of throwing them out or recycling them. Recycling is great but first consider whether or not you can repurpose it somehow. Could it work some other way in your home or for some other function? Do you know someone who would like to have it instead of buying new?

Cell Phones

It seems like as soon as you buy your cell phone, it's already out of date. When you decide to upgrade your cell phone, what do you do with the old one? Before you throw it in the trash, which is bad for the environment, remember that you have many other easy options. First, find out if you can trade it in with your carrier. Often you can do this for a discount on the new phone that you choose. Another option is to donate them back to the manufacturer where they get recycled into new phones. Still another option is to donate them to charity. They can be repurposed in different ways such as given to homeless people or women in need as an emergency phone or donated to troops overseas to allow them to call their families back home.

TVs

More people are upgraded their TVs these days, especially as flat screen energy-efficient televisions are becoming more affordable. You can repurpose your old TVs by seeing if someone you know wants it first. As a next step, you can look to donate to shelters, low-income housing and other facilities where there are people who may really appreciate your old TV. If it's broken or you cannot find anyone who wants to repurpose it, take your TV to a safe e-cycling facility to keep it out of the landfill.

iPods

You can return your iPod to an Apple store for recycling. You can also trade or sell it for parts. eBay is a great place to post items like this. If it still works, you might consider giving it away to a child or someone else who might appreciate it. (Be sure to clean off your music and files first.) you can also donate to charity.

Electronic Recycling

When it comes to electronics that you cannot give away or that are broken and non-working, look into taking them to an e-waste store. You can find recycling programs at stores like Staples and Best Buy. You can also search the Earth 911 database for a recycling location near you.

Electronics are the future. Even if you're not a big techie right now, you will find that as the years move on, it's unavoidable. Learning how to repurpose and recycle electronics is good for the environment and can also be good for your pocketbook.