How Do You Dispose Of Your Old Gadgets?

Consumer Electronics, Gadgets — By Michael J. Aarons on April 28, 2009 at 12:43 am

For gadget lovers, snapping up the latest, newest, coolest gadget every few months is a way of life. The moment you buy your mobile phone, media player, or digital camera, it’s almost obsolete. It’s just a matter of time when you’ll decide to upgrade, to get the latest features and snazziest designs.

What do you usually do with gadgets that you replace? Some gadget lovers exercise prudence and sell their old devices online, give them to friends, or hand them down to relatives or family members. I’ve often handed given my used mobile phones and laptops to my siblings. Or to help finance upgrades, I sometimes sell my used computers and peripherals online, often at big discounts.

Yet some gadget lovers keep all their old devices after being replaced, only to collect dust in their closets or shelves. But even worse are those who throw away their old or broken mobile phones, keyboards, mice, monitors and other peripherals. These people don’t know the dangers they pose to the environment. Plastics take decades to biodegrade. Some components even take forever. Some chemicals in batteries, like lithium and nickel are even very toxic, and could release harmful fumes to the air when disposed of improperly.

And so a handful of tech companies have offered free recycling as part of their greening initiatives. Nokia, for instance, has installed recycling boxes at public places like malls. You can just drop in your old batteries, mobile phones, and practically any gadget or peripheral, and they will take care of disposal or recycling. No purchase necessary. Just drop in your old stuff!

Still other companies offer recycling when you purchase a new gadget or device. Apple, for instance, will let you give them your old computer (whether it’s a PC or a Mac) when you purchase a new Mac. Apple even lets you return your old iPod for recycling, regardless of whether you are purchasing a new one.

It’s a question of social responsibility. We are a population of six billion odd people, after all, and our climate is fast changing. It is said that even a one-degree Centigrade shift in global temperatures upward or downward could cause a drastic change in the world’s sea levels, animal life, and a host of other things. Therefore, it’s everyone’s responsibility to pitch in.

As a gadget lover, what are we doing to help the environment? Perhaps we can start by disposing of your e-waste properly.