Working World

We love our gadgets and gizmos. In the past few years, technology has developed exponentially and improved goodies have tempted us to replace old cell phones, iPods, games and other electronics every time something new came along. It’s estimated that between 130 million and 500 million retired cell phones are just lying around, or stashed in drawers or storage spaces. Some good can be had from these dated devices, however. Not only can you be a good citizen by recycling, you can actually get cash or merchandise when you trade them in. There is a whole slew of websites devoted to helping you sell or get some trade-in value for your old electronics.

FlipSwap.com makes it possible to get trade-in cash or store credit at 6,000 retailers and makes sure as many used phones as possible get a second life with someone who cannot afford a new one. They claim they can triple or even quadruple the useful life of a cell phone and keep tons of toxic waste out of landfills. Even broken or damaged phones can often be repaired and used again by someone else.

To see what they will offer for your phone or iPod, go to their website and give them the particulars of your model. They will offer you cash or credit, to be sent to you or donated to a designated charity and will even pay for the shipping. The worst-case scenario is they will recycle it and plant a tree in its place.

CellForCash.com will also buy your old cell phones. They say their average payment price is $25, but much higher prices are offered for some of the 600 models they accept. RMS Communications, the company that runs the site, refurbishes and resells old phones and also recycles. CEO James Mosieur says, “We extract precious metals from some phones, we provide working phones to shelters, police departments and other worthy users, and we also simply dismantle and discard some old phones in a responsible, non-polluting fashion."

Gazelle.com calls the concept “reCommerce” and accepts phones, laptops, desktop computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, iPhones, GPS devices, Blu-ray players, satellite radios, camcorders and gaming consoles. On their website, you rate the item’s condition and list available accessories to generate a quote. They have their own pricing engine (patent pending) that calculates the items value and what they will pay you for it.

Gazelle.com has been written up in several national publications (USA Today, The Wall Street Journal), and CNN has touted how easy it is to use, calling it “NetFlix for junk.” They will pay for shipping and, on select items, even send you a shipping box. It takes about a week after they receive the item to send payment. If it turns out they can’t resell it, then they recycle it.

CollectiveGood.com will also pay for many of the same used electronics. The price is based on the item’s condition, their proprietary pricing database and the probable Fair Market Value of the pre-owned item. BuyMyTronics.com is a similar site that pays within 48 hours of receipt of the items.

NextWorth.com buys a full range of games and gadgets, either online with a check mailed later, or at participating retailers who will appraise the item and give you store credit or gift cards. At present, Target is the only major Southern California retailer involved in this program. Confirm with your local store whether they participate.

Sometimes the availability of accessories, the original box, the manual or software will often influence the price, and different sites may give widely varied quotes on the same item. So it pays to check more than one.   

RecycleBank.com is a more general recycling-for-cash resource, although it is not yet available in Southern California. This innovative program began on the East Coast and is rolling our way with the goal of progressing “society’s view of the product lifecycle from linear to cyclical.”

They figure that material incentives will probably work better overall to get more people in the general population to recycle, rather than relying on guilt or a devotion to the cause of environmentalism. As such, their incentive system rewards people in a concrete way by awarding points for recycled electronics through an online system. In this system, the points are good for cash through the aforementioned Collective Good, FlipSwap and Gazelle sites.

Their more interesting and unique program for general recyclables is a curbside pick-up service in partnership with local haulers or municipalities. You use their special computer-chip-enhanced carts or bins as receptacles for cans, plastics, glass bottles/jars and paper, then they pick up the goods and you are awarded points based on the weight of the cart, which is recorded through the chips. The points you earn can be redeemed for merchandise at 1,400 national and local retailers, including stores such as CVS Pharmacy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, Petco and  others.

While there is sometimes a subscription fee for the service, depending upon the municipality, it is usually around $8 a month or less, which is more than offset by the value of the points earned (up to $400 a year). They encourage residents interested in bringing the program to their own city to contact their city government or municipal sanitation department and express an interest in RecycleBank.com.

Cashing in on discards is a win-win situation for you and the environment, and you’ll free up some closet space as well.   

Suzanne Ridgway is a freelance writer and regular columnist/contributor for Working World and Working Nurse magazines. Suzanne also writes grant proposals for nonprofit organizations.