Unfortunately, there are so many smartphones that are simply thrown away in the trash. What many do not understand is that any electronic device contains various parts that would not degrade in time and that would hurt the environment. It was highlighted in the year 2012 that around 60% of US homes had old cell phones that were simply lying around. When looking just at iPhones that are discarded, we reach a value of around $9 billion.
If you have a smartphone lying around that works or even that is damaged, you want to consider recycling. The options that we highlight below are interesting and you want to consider them at all times. While others also exist, we found the opportunities highlighted as being different than what many use at the moment.
Donate Your Old Smartphone
Let’s say that you buy a new smartphone for gaming. The old one most likely still works. Even if it is a little damaged, you need to think about the fact that there are thousands of people that could use it and that cannot actually buy a phone.
There are various donation programs that you can choose from right now. Besides the obvious opportunity that you have to give the phone to a friend or a family member, you can also hand it out to the US military. There are a couple of organizations that try to make it easier for soldiers to call home when they are deployed to another country. Alternatively, there is an option to donate to domestic violence survivors. Verizon has a really good program that already collected 10 million smartphones and offered them to domestic violence victims.
Sell The Old Phone Online
This is an option that few actually consider. It is a shame to notice that. There are many online service, like Glyde, that will compare prices for phones on various other sites and that would buy your old smartphone with the purpose of reselling it. Instead of simply throwing your old one away, you could get some cash for it.
Sell The Phone To The Manufacturer
Many smartphone manufacturers actually have programs that they use in order to buy back the phones that they sold in the past and that people do not use anymore. As a simple example, Apple gives you gift cards for the old iPhones. Amounts vary based on phone model and make.
Have Your Phone Refurbished
If you buy a new smartphone for your child and there is an older phone lying around, there is a pretty good possibility that it still works. The options above would be better in this case but if there is some damage, you can always sell the phone to a company that would clean it, update it, test it and then sell it to retailers.
Conclusions
As you can easily notice, there are different great opportunities that you can take into account in the event that you want to recycle your phone in a less conventional way. Any tech blog highlights that protecting the environment through such practices is the responsibility of every user and we do agree with that.
