Reusing Old Electronics
If you haven’t thrown out or recycled your old analog TV yet Please don’t send it to the landfills. The CRT in television contains several ponds of lead and we don’t want that leaching into the soil and ground water. You can re-purpose your TV by making it your DVD station, or put in your garage where you can watch it as you do some work there. If you just want to get rid of it then donate it to a school or charitable organization that can use it.
Don’t throw that old cell phone, iPod, etc… that are seating in your desk drawer in the trash. They shouldn’t end up in landfills either because they also contain toxic material. An interesting idea I read on the internet is using your old cell phone as a 911 phone for your car. Make sure you charge it and turn it off and keep it in your glove compartment. If you or someone else is an emergency situation turn on your cell phone and dial 911. All cell phones are mandated to allow 911 calls by law so not to worry it will work.
If you are the type who likes to open up things and tinker with it then you can use your old electronics for that purpose. There is a book out called “62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer” that you can use to make all kinds of useful interesting things out of your old electronics. You can also use computer parts to fix other computers or to build a new computer if you have the inclination to do so.
If you are not the type to tinker with electronics then you can donate it to charitable organizations for reuse or sell it on eBay or Craigslist. Then there are many online recycling companies such as Gazzelle.com that will take in your cell phones, iPods, mp3 players etc… Many of them will even pay you for it if it is not too old fashioned and is in good working conditions. Many of them will recycle it for you for free if it is not reusable. They all have mail in programs and most of them have free shipping.
If none of the above options of reusing your old electronics work for you, then there are easy ways to recycle your unwanted electronics. If you have a Best Buys store near you for instance you can simply take in almost any kind of electronics and drop it off at the recycling kiosk just inside the door. They take in TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, audio and video cables, cell phones, and more. Most of these things are recycled for free, with a few restrictions. Other electronics retailers and manufacturers such as Dell and HP also have their recycling programs. All of these companies will recycle used electronic gadget properly.
