What Happens to Recycled Electronics?

Most of us enjoy our electronics for many years and once we upgrade it is easy to forget about our old devices. There’s also very little education on what we should do with those devices. Many trade-in old phones and tablets with their carriers. There are also companies online that will buy old electronics, but what happens after that? Where do recycled electronics go? Are they actually recycled? Donated? Or are they resold? Well, that depends on what type of company you choose to trade, sell, or give them to.

Companies That Recycle Electronics

There are many different companies that handle the recycling, disposal, refurbishment, and resale of end of life electronics. These include cellular service providers or carrier stores, online buyback companies, ITADs, and raw material recyclers. Companies in these industries can have a lot of similarities, but they also may process these electronics in very different ways.

Local Refuse, Landfill, or Solid Waste Agencies

Many counties and cities offer services for disposal or recycling of electronic waste. When dropping off used or end of life electronics at your local e-waste agency its always important to find out their recycling process. The last thing that you want is for them to end up being disposed of improperly. You can generally find out how they recycle electronics by looking on their website or by giving them a call. Many of these facilities will require payment for the disposal of e-waste. These electronics will have to be dismantled and separated into their core components and raw materials. They may then need to be shipped off to facilities that can process and reuse the raw materials. These facilities will rarely repurpose the item for reuse, so this option is best for very old and obsolete electronics that are no longer useful and cannot be donated or resold.

Carrier Stores

Carriers like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile generate most of their revenue selling cellular service subscriptions. These stores offer trade in deals to their customers when they upgrade. They generally offer these trade in deals in the form of bill credits rather than a cash payout to keep their customers locked into a service subscription contract. The carriers are not reselling or recycling the devices that are traded in themselves. They partner with insurance companies like Assurant. These insurance companies then process, grade, and re-sell these used mobile devices in large auctions. Smaller resellers will eventually sell these devices on the secondary market where they will be used by another end user.

Online Trade In Companies

There are trusted online companies that accept old and broken electronics and will pay you out cash. Some of these companies, like SmartphonesPLUS, will also accept electronics that just need to be recycled for free. Online trade in programs are a convenient way to get rid of old tech as they’ll generally help you with shipping and packing costs. Most often, the only work that is involved is taking your items to the local post office or scheduling a pickup. When these companies receive devices, they will process and inspect them to determine their model, condition, and if they have any resale value. If the devices can be resold then they’ll end up being reused, if not they may be able to be dismantled and sold for parts or recycled. Using an online trade in company when upgrading your phone is a great option due to the fact that it can be used again and they pay out cash.

Why is it crucial that we manage our electronic waste efficiently?

Close to 50 million metric tons of electronic waste is generated every year. That’s equivalent to 12,500 fully grown Asian Elephants. Out of this huge pile of waste, only about 12% is actually recycled. The rest is either dumped into landfills, incinerated, or dumped into the oceans. A large number of what is labelled as “e-waste” is actually not waste at all. These are fully functional electronics or parts that are able to be reused or can be recycled for materials recovery. Since these devices use many precious metals like gold, silver, iron and copper they also hold a lot of valuable raw materials.

How To Ensure My Old Electronics are Recycled Responsibly?

Before choosing a place to dispose of your electronics its important to ask questions and verify exactly what will happen to your devices. If your devices don’t have any usable life left ask questions and ensure they will be dismantled and recycled in an environmentally friendly way. If they have any life left it is beneficial if they go to a company that will be able to resell them to another user. By extending the life of our electronics we reduce the amount of e-waste that is pumped into our environment each year. Before sending your electronics off for recycling or resale be sure to take the steps to prep the device and remove any personal data:

• Ensure all accounts are removed and factory reset your phone and other smart devices
• Remove any personally identifying stickers or tags from the device
• If you are reselling it, make sure that it is cleaned and ready for reuse

We all have a say in where our old devices go and can avoid additional e-waste ending up in our oceans and landfills. It’s easy to forget about our old devices once they are out of our possession. However, it is our responsibility to ensure that electronics are recycled responsibly or, ideally, resold and reused.