Here on EcoGeek we've written a lot about how to recycle your old electronics. First, because it's a great idea and there are so many electronics out there not being used but with lots of useful and expensive parts. And second, because many of those parts are poisonous, so many end up in landfills that it's posing a huge environmental problem.We've written about Target selling re-furbished electronics, how Staples is trying to make recycling easier, how Dell is going Cradle to Cradle with all their products, and even how to recycle your old laptop yourself and even make some money at it! But what if you actually got paid to bring your old electronics back when you no longer needed them?
TechForward Inc., a Los Angeles-based company, will actually do just that. For an upfront fee ($9 for an iPod for example) you get the right to sell the device back at a pre-determined price, based on how long you keep it. If you send back the iPod after a year, you get $40, $20 after two years.
"The trade-in prices don't look competitive with eBay auctions, but TechForward offers the convenience of free packaging and shipping. Its prices assume the item is in good condition. The company won't pay for an item that's broken, though it will supply packaging, pay for shipping and arrange to recycle it."
However, we've also discussed "buymytronics" here at EcoGeek, an admittedly smaller operation that actually will buy your electronics without any pre-fee, and even if they're broken. The price, of course, changes based on the condition of your device, and the range of devices they accept is more limited.
All in all, a good situation. Even if you're not planning on selling the item back but to keep it beyond its "payback" period, for the convenience of recycling and proper disposal, $9 seems like a fair deal to me.
via Physorg
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Comments (6)
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written by xodus83, January 18, 2008
I like the fact that they will recycle your item for you, but I'm not going give a company any money if they are going to just resell the item and make more money. I think you need to be missing a few brain sells to fall into a scheme like this. Plus recycling should be free to the users and companys should be forced to dispose of their product or let the consumers know how to recycle the item without charge to us.
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written by filip, January 20, 2008
we pay a few dollars per item (e.g. 2 to 3 dollars for a washing machine) when buying the good. that is explicitly an amount for recycling (called Recupel)
if i'm not mistaken that money goes to a firm wich is semi-private, semi-public
what really happens to those goods I'm not sure though
if you ask firms to pay for the recylcing themselves that cost will inevitably end up as a consumer cost anyway, i think.
if i'm not mistaken that money goes to a firm wich is semi-private, semi-public
what really happens to those goods I'm not sure though
if you ask firms to pay for the recylcing themselves that cost will inevitably end up as a consumer cost anyway, i think.
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written by filip, January 20, 2008
http://www.makro.be/Content/pr...=2008002S0
in the right corner below you'll find the price followed in small writing ; the RECUPEL (when zooming in)
in the right corner below you'll find the price followed in small writing ; the RECUPEL (when zooming in)
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written by Carl Foner, January 21, 2008
I think any responsible electronics recycling and/or reuse is great. The more incentives we can give, and the easier we can make it, the more people will recycle. There's a lot of choices out there, but if this makes it easier for some people to do the right thing, I'm in favor of it.
If you want to make some guaranteed money off of an iPod that's great, but if you're just recycling it, it's probably not the best deal. Apple will recycle an iPod or cell phone for free (including shipping). They'll even give you 10% off the price of a new iPod, if you bring it into an Apple store for recycling.
If you want to make some guaranteed money off of an iPod that's great, but if you're just recycling it, it's probably not the best deal. Apple will recycle an iPod or cell phone for free (including shipping). They'll even give you 10% off the price of a new iPod, if you bring it into an Apple store for recycling.
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written by rachel, October 08, 2008
anyone intrested in a ds . the normal version and with only one broken hinge but is ok. with 3 games . diner dash little mermaid nintendo dogs for only
£40 when usealy games £30 each an ds's £100 but im doing them cheap . if your intrested email please on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ;D :P :-* :)
£40 when usealy games £30 each an ds's £100 but im doing them cheap . if your intrested email please on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ;D :P :-* :)
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written by Ria, May 08, 2012
I think its crazy that we spend hundreds of dolkars on a device that after a few months becomes worthless and then we are asked to recycle at a measeley price not even enough to buy a good meal, knowing that these revycling companies makes thousandsupon thousands of dollars. Come on what recycling company has struggled financially. Its just amother fprm of rip off pond shops
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