Greenphone.com
Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: ewaste, recycle, phones | Themes: The Internet
2. Greenphone.com
Greenphone.com
Greenphone.com is ideal for those who have hordes of cell phones sitting idly in drawers and want to turn a quick profit. Greenphone.com will let you input the devices you want to sell into the Website, provide you with a preliminary value and pay you via check, PayPal or Obopay once it receives the device and its accessories.
That said, there’s one catch: All phones must work and be able to make one test call before the company pays you. If it doesn’t perform both tasks, Greenphone.com will recycle the phone, but you won’t be paid for it.
Once you sell the phones back to Greenphone.com, the company then sells the devices to organizations all over the world. A portion of the profit will go to Greenphone.com, while the other slice will “be used to plant trees in the United States and overseas to help clean the air and cool the planet, in keeping with the company’s commitment to world-saving tactics.”
To try out the system, I found out what a Motorola KRZR in good condition was worth. Even though its original retail price was about $150, Greenphone.com is offering $22 for resale – not a great deal.
I sold a 4-GB iPhone back to Greenphone.com and after sending it in, I received a check for $60. All in all, I was pleased with the service, but for a paltry $60, I’m not sure it was the best deal.
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AT&T also sponsors a program called Cell Phones for Soldiers, where you can donate used cell phones to be recycled and help pay for prepaid calling cards for our soldiers to call home.
Why isn't my Nokia 3210 in the list on ebay? It's not that old is it?
For those of you that can't figure out what to do with the old stuff, Best Buy in the U.S.A. will accept electronic junk at no charge and ship it to dedicated electronics recyclers. This is not a donation - no charitable tax receipts can be given - but Best Buy can make sure that toasted monitor (hazardous waste) in your basement does not end up in a landfill before it has been properly recycled. Contact a manager at your nearest Best Buy for more details on their recycling program if this sounds like something you could use.
Free Geek isn't just for people in Oregon. People have started Free Geek branches in cities all over North America. I volunteer at Free Geek Vancouver, and we're just as happy to recycle your old junk as the one in Portland.