The best ways to recycle your old electronic devices

HOW TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF YOUR TECHNOLOGY GIVE IT AWAY. Repurposing items is always best, whether using drawers from an old dresser as a backyard raised garden bed or handing down a laptop

to a family member, friend, church group, community center or school. SELL IT YOURSELF. You can make money from some of your old tech. Depending on your device’s age and condition,

e-commerce sites will resell it. If you want to find a buyer yourself, post it on Craigslist, eBay or Facebook Marketplace. TRADE IT IN. Some services, such as Decluttr, ecoATM, Gazelle and

MPB.com, will purchase a product from you and find a buyer. Check the websites to see whether any of these services are interested in buying your device and, if so, what they will offer for

it. RECYCLE IT. The U.S. EPA lists several ways to do so. State agencies and local programs may give you more options. Check the websites to see what each service will offer for your device

or if they want it. The EPA site lists options for disposing of larger devices such as computers and printers, including programs from big-box retailers such as Best Buy and Staples. Be sure

to call ahead to confirm that your local store will accept e-waste and what types of products it will recycle. In France, this set of receptacles for electronic waste has separate bins so

users can sort their computer accessories, cellphones, and alkaline and rechargeable batteries for recycling. Getty Images OPTIONS ABOUND FOR PHONES, SMALL DEVICES NEW LIFE FOR CELLPHONES. 

911 Cell Phone Bank of Ocala, Florida, and Secure the Call of Takoma Park, Maryland, are among the organizations that erase data from old mobile phones — though you should erase it yourself 

before donating — and give the phones to law enforcement and victims’ services agencies for reuse. Those agencies then give the phones to people who might need to make a 911 call, which

doesn’t require purchase of a cellphone plan. RECYCLING FOR CHARITY. Nonprofit groups, such as Alpharetta, Georgia–based Cellphones for Soldiers; Denver-based National Coalition Against

Domestic Violence; and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Wounded Warrior Project, which receive money through SecondWave Recycling based in the Seattle area, can benefit when you

mail in cellphones and sometimes other small devices for recycling. Charities near you also may participate in such programs. INCENTIVES FOR YOU. Some cellphone carriers accept old phones

to recycle and may offer you a credit toward purchase of a new model. Amazon also offers gift cards for its small consumer electronics and others, including Amazon items not in working

condition, plus discounts on its devices. LOCATIONS IN YOUR AREA. Several services allow you to type in your zip code to see places nearby where you can give away your old electronics: *

CALL2RECYCLE shows you drop-off locations for cellphones, e-bike batteries, rechargeable batteries and single-use batteries. * THE CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION’S recycle electronics map

also lists the devices accepted at locations in its results. * GOODWILL DONATION CENTERS partner with computer manufacturer Dell to refurbish or recycle any brand of computer and accessories

including monitors, printers and scanners in about half of the thrift stores nationwide. * EARTH911 goes beyond electronic devices to tell you where to drop off some types of batteries,

halogen light bulbs and refrigerators. * UBREAKIFIX STORES in more than 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are drop-off locations for Amazon’s small consumer electronics

recycling program. But before you recycle your aging or broken tech, research what happens to it. Some companies resell your devices, so it’s especially important to properly clear your data

before any item leaves your hands. Video: Video: How to Scrub Personal Information From Your Phone REMOVE ALL YOUR DATA You can protect your privacy — even if you’re not too tech savvy. It

just takes a couple of steps. SMARTPHONES. Both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets support encryption, so performing a factory reset will keep your information from being decoded. On an

iPhone, it’s in SETTINGS ⚙️ | GENERAL | TRANSFER OR RESET IPHONE | ERASE ALL CONTENT | SETTINGS.