Donate or sell working electronics instead of recycling

If your old device still works, giving it a second life through donation or resale is more environmentally beneficial than recycling — it avoids the energy and resource cost of manufacturing a replacement.

Steps

1. Test the device to confirm it powers on and functions adequately.
2. Perform a factory reset or use a data-wiping tool to securely erase all personal information.
3. Donate to local charities, schools, or organizations like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or World Computer Exchange that refurbish and redistribute electronics.
4. Alternatively, sell through eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Swappa, or trade-in services like Decluttr.

Why It Works

Extending a device's useful life by even one or two years significantly reduces its overall environmental footprint. Manufacturing accounts for 70-80% of a smartphone's lifetime carbon emissions, so reuse delivers far greater benefit than material recovery through recycling.

Tips

• Charities may issue a tax-deductible donation receipt — ask before dropping off.
• Include the charger and any accessories to make the device immediately usable.
• Devices too old to sell often still have value to schools and nonprofits for basic computing tasks.