Do you have broken tablets, phones, charger cords, and other e-waste that needs recycling? In my previous post about making small changes in the beginning, I mentioned that several companies are starting to take care of the recycling of their own products. Right now, we are preparing to move across the country so I’ve started to pack up my drawers in my office. I came across some charging cords in my top drawer that were damaged and started to throw them away. Then I wondered if I could recycle them instead. Upon a little research, I discovered that I could indeed recycle the charging cords, along with the broken iPads and cases hiding in my overstuffed closet.
Apple Trade In
If you are upgrading to a newer model and just won’t be using the older one, you may actually be able to get a credit toward the newer model. With Apple’s trade in program, just plug in the serial number and the condition of the product and they will let you know if you can get a credit or need to recycle it. My kiddos are both autistic and despite the strongest Otter Box or Lifproof case, they still manage to break the screens somehow. Three out of the 4 iPads we had were shattered. One of the screens was totally separated from the tablet entirely. The fourth one was still intact, but the LED display was broken so unusable. I probably could have replaced the broken screens for about $125, but I just never got around to it or wanted to spend that kind of money.

The only down side to Apple’s program is that you can only send in one device per envelope or box. In an attempt to be more eco-friendly, I ordered some recycled paper envelopes off of Amazon. I wanted to try some new ones for my side business anyway so I will do a review of these in a future post. Now, whether Apple will recycle them once they get them to their facility, I have no idea, but I tried on my end.
Amazon Trade In
We used the Amazon Kids’ Fire Edition for our kids for a few years when we received them as a Christmas gift. The nice thing about that one was if the kids broke them, for any reason, within the first two years, we could get it replaced. We did get them replaced 3 times before the warranty, and our patience, finally ran out. Amazon’s recycling program is offered through Re-Teck. Because it is a third party program, you can box up quite a bit of e-waste and send it all in at the same time. I boxed up two Amazon Fire tablets with broken screens, a tablet cover, and two charging cords with bent ports.



It’s great to know that there are some companies that are helping to reduce the e-waste problem.