How to Recycle Old Electronic Devices

Getting the latest gaming console, sleeker TV, updated laptop models, or more pixels in that DSLR camera, before anyone else does is the newfound agenda for all crazy gadget-freaks. And with the gadgets advancing steadily year by year, guess what happens to that chunk of your old discarded devices that no longer fancy you? Only a few people think of repairing or reusing that chic Apple iPhone screen/home button/speaker volume buttons when they hear about the launch of a new Apple iPhone model each year. Such was the craze for LED TVs which hastily replaced the older, once much-preferred LCD screen TVs.

All thanks to the changes in technology which seem to be occurring in the blink of an eye, the speed of discarding electronics (which means no reusing electronics) has touched new heights. Given the alarming rate of depletion of resources due to excessive mining and consumption, worsening environmental conditions, it is astounding to accept the fact that people are not encouraged to recycle technology and rather buy new ones.

Quick pointers we all can think of:

• Adopt and diligently follow any of the R’s: Reuse, Recycle, Resale, and Repair! Not only is this cost-effective, but also eco-friendly, local community favoring, and helpful towards the limited natural resources which are being progressively consumed to satisfy the technology hunger of today’s youth.
• Do not run for every small software update: Think sensibly and measure the costs and benefits before you switch to an altogether newer version of model at the launch of latest software updates.

So, next time you decide to simply discard away your old electronic devices, try to recover assets in interesting ways:

1. Don’t let them pile up: Just simply take them back to the store you bought them from! Yes, you read that right. Simply trade off your old electronic devices for newer ones for cash at stores such as Apple, HP, Dell, Canon, BestBuy, eBay, Amazon, etc. and save money.
2. Use the unusable: Have you ever disposed of any of your older electronic devices just because there was more space available to keep up with your rising tech-savvy trends, or office work files? Get rid of older styles of saving data on hard drives and pen drives, and switch to more convenient, safer and more secure platforms such as Dropbox, Amazon’s AWS Cloud, Apple’s iCloud, Google Drive and other such cloud services available for storing unimaginable amounts of data.
3. The power still lies in all its parts: Reusing electronics and their parts in newer ways is the new trick! You can still use that printer or keyboard or mouse or even your old mobile phones (as a music player or GPS tracker) in different and unique ways. You can even use your old computers as quick web servers.
4. Take it to a Tech Firm: Many electronic dealers and manufacturers provide robust recycling programs. Search for such companies online, on the internet space, and get in touch with them. They not only help you recycle your older electroncs, but even sell the disassembled parts in the retail market for a good price.
5. Creativity at its peak: Think of different ways to use your old and redundant electronic devices to create beautiful, creative objects and artefacts. For example, create a digital photo frame for your office or room out of an outdated iPad or tablet, or a smart alarm clock made out of that age-old smartphone. You can even craft a gaming devices for your kids by converting your old Android phones into gaming consoles.
6. Indulge in donating to charity: What maybe old fashioned for you can serve as a dream-come-true for that little kid on street eagerly wanting to attend school or be educated like other kids of his age. Numerous NGOs and government organizations running across the nation are keen towards collecting second-hand electronics such as computers, laptops, tablets, etc. and use them to educate the underprivileged.

The fact of today’s generation is that at slightest inconvenience electronic devices are thrown away to be replaced with latest models; tablets, laptops, TVs, mobile phones, smart watches, and what not. Utilization of used technology, if taken up religiously, can be regarded as reusing one’s own money. So, all you have to do is make sure that every time you replace your older electronic gadgets with newer ones, the former gets recycled properly.