Whether you have an old phone languishing in a desk drawer or a broken laptop gathering dust in the back of a closet, there will never be a better time to dispose of it. There’s a good chance your unwanted gadget can return to useful service, and it may even make you a little cash or help someone else. Recycling should be the last resort, but if there’s nothing else for your gadget, there are ways to recycle electronics responsibly.
Global e-waste topped 50 million metric tons in 2019, according to the United Nations Global E-Waste Monitor, and just 17.4 percent of that waste was collected and recycled. Too many old electronics end up in landfills and hellish e-waste graveyards where they poison communities. The problem is only growing worse. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) forum estimates that 5.3 billion phones dropped out of use in 2022 alone. Governments, companies, and people are waking up to the fact that we must do better. The big question is, how? Here are some resources, services, and ideas that can help.
Updated February 2025: We’ve added advice on recycling electronics and details on a new battery recycling program.
Use Devices for Longer
Before you throw devices away, consider using them for a little longer. Do you really need to upgrade? Perhaps you can repurpose your old device to squeeze more life from it. You might turn that old phone into a webcam, for example. If you are dead set on shopping for a new device, do your research to find ethical and eco-friendly electronics. Look for manufacturers and retailers with trade-in and recycling programs.
Consider buying products used on eBay or other marketplaces, or look for refurbished gadgets. Manufacturers like Apple and Samsung offer refurbished devices at a discount, and you can find loads of refurbished goods at Amazon. Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability at iFixit, recommends Back Market for refurbished phones.
Pass Devices On
Passing devices onto family members, friends, and neighbors who can use them is the best way to squeeze maximum value out of them. “Don’t let devices hibernate in a junk drawer or closet and waste away,” says Jeff Seibert, who works at SERI (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International). “Get them into someone else’s hands who can use them as quickly as possible because the older devices get, the less positive impact they can make.”
If you don’t know anyone who can use your old electronics, try the Freecycle Network or local Buy Nothing groups on Facebook to find folks interested in freebies.
Repair and Refurbish
Whether you plan to squeeze a bit more out of a device, want to pass it along to someone, or plan on selling it, repairing or refurbishing it first is a smart move. If you want to try and repair a device, iFixit is a great place to start. It boasts more than 90,000 step-by-step repair guides covering phones, tablets, laptops, computers, game consoles, and cameras.
YouTube is another great place to find repair videos, and Chamberlain recommends checking out repair techs like Louis Rossmann, Jessa Jones, Ben’s Appliances and Junk, and Rich Rebuilds, but there’s no shortage of repair videos for the specific gadget you’re looking for.