People rely upon a lot of electronics these days. The pace of technology has also increased so much that consumers tend to replace their old electronic phones, computers, and other devices more frequently. The problem is that e-waste has become a much bigger problem over the past decade or so. The good news is that most electronic components are recyclable, and you can help preserve the planet and even profit by finding the proper home for used electronic components and parts.
About Recycling Electronic Components
Manufacturers use metal and other materials to produce electronic components. Even though a cell phone or tablet might be out of date, the parts within it may still have value. Recycling as much as possible also helps prevent overcrowded landfills, pollution, and the waste of precious resources.
Proper recycling should use less energy than creating components entirely out of raw materials, so an added benefit to consider is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Besides computers or phones, it’s possible to find electronic components to recycle inside of DVD and VCR players, TV sets, computers, and clocks. Examples of components that may contain material that can be used again could include switches, motors, and even plugs.
How to Recycle Electronic Components
To recycle electronic components, you may decide that you just want to do your part to help the environment. In other cases, you may have an interest in finding old electronics with components that you can sell for money. The first way will be easier, but the second route can give you some extra cash to help you buy your next new gadget. “Recycling companies like Plunc make it simple to properly dispose of old electronics and do your part for the environment while also allowing you to recoup some cash for selling your Apple products and other devices you no longer use.”
Donating Recyclable Electronics
If your electronic product still works and might be valuable to people, you may just decide to give it away to a worthy case. Some examples of organizations that will accept these donations like these include schools, charitable thrift shop, and even assisted living homes.
If you are not certain whether your electronics is worthy of keeping intact, you can also let professionals decide. You can find a handy ZIP code locator from the Consumer Electronics Association. This locator can help you find handy drop-off locations where you can leave your donations and know that they will be correctly handled and disposed of. Some of these organizations will even offer to pick your donations up for free.
Recycling Electronic Components for Cash
If you are a DIY-type, you may be interested in stripping valuable components out of electronics for resale. All you really need to get started is a vice grip, pliers, screwdriver, and soldier gun. You just need to strip components out of the case or off a PCB board.
If you understand Direct Components Inc – electronic components pretty well, you might want to list these for sale to buyers on sites like eBay or local online trading boards. This takes the most work, but you can also make more profit by selling your parts directly to end users.
If you’re more pressed for time, you can do a search for local electronic scrap yards. In this case, the scrap yard will serve as a middleman, so they will offer to pay you less because they need to sell the parts for a profit. On the other hand, you can get an offer of cash on the spot and don’t have to spend time looking for your own buyers. You can still do the right thing for the environment and make some money for it.
The Lazy Way to Profit from Recycling Electronics
If you are not the kind of person who wants to strip down electronics, you can still find a monetary incentive to do the right thing. Many retailers and other companies will offer you cash, credit, or gift cards for used electronics.
These are some examples:
Gazelle: This Company is in the business of refurbishing electronics for resale. They will send you a pre-paid label and make you an offer. If you accept, you can get paid with a gift card or to your PayPal account.
Amazon: The world’s biggest online retailer has a nice trade-in program that you may like. They even provide you with a search feature to figure out how much value certain items usually get assigned. You can send in your item without paying any fees, and then Amazon will give you a gift card in trade. You can use your new gift card for anything that the retailer offers.
In addition, Best Buy and Target run programs that work a lot like Amazon’s program. While Best Buy accepts a wide variety of electronics, Target only takes laptop computers and cell phones at this time. In either case, they will pay you with a gift card that you can use to buy whatever you want from the company.
Profit By Helping Other Folks Recycle Electronics
Your friends, coworkers, and family may not know how to properly dispose of their electronics. You can offer to help them out to keep even more hazardous chemicals out of landfills. By helping other people out, you can also help yourself.
After you accept the electronics, you should keep your promise to responsibly dispose of them. However, you are free to sell the electronics or the electronic components. Some people have made lucrative part-time and even full-time businesses in this way. How many other businesses can stock inventory for free by getting people to gladly make donations?
In time, you may even find yourself starting your own electronics scrap yard business. The best thing about this business is you don’t need a lot of space to begin and can probably get started in your garage or an extra bedroom.
Why Recycle Electronic Components?
Just in the United States, electronic waste accounts for three million tons of extra garbage every year. These handy gadgets contain lead and other toxic substances that pollute the environment if they aren’t disposed of properly. However, they also contain valuable parts and metals that other people will pay money for. You can help reduce the electronic waste problem and make some cash by recycling electronic parts.
Article Submitted By Community Writer