If you have an old iPhone that you are considering disposing of, do not throw it in the trash – doing so contributes to electronic waste landfills which pose a growing environmental threat.
Recycling an iPhone has many options; whether that means visiting an Apple store directly or their website to get a mailing label for free.
Recycling is Good for the Environment
Sending your old iPhone directly into the trash, no matter its cosmetic state, is bad for the environment. Doing so creates electronic waste landfills which contain toxic chemicals which leech into surrounding water sources and soil.
Recycling an old phone can be an easy and effective way to help the environment, and many local businesses and organizations offer ways to recycle iPhones – some even giving their proceeds directly back to charity!
One of the greatest advantages of recycling your iPhone is helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By diverting waste away from landfills and incinerators, recycling can significantly decrease greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. Furthermore, recycling requires less energy consumption compared to manufacturing new products, thus further decreasing pollution and waste levels.
Recycling iPhones also has the added advantage of safeguarding wildlife and natural habitats, by eliminating the need to extract raw materials from the ground and thus helping preserve natural areas and forests as well as aiding ecosystems on our planet.
Donating your old iPhone to a charitable organization such as Cell Phones for Soldiers may also be an ideal way to recycle it; the phone will be repaired and used to provide free cellular service to active-duty soldiers. In addition, many cities and states provide e-waste recycling programs which accept phones free of charge in order to recycle them properly.
Recycling is Good for Your Wallet
Recycling not only has environmental advantages but can be used as an economical strategy as well. Instead of hoarding unwanted electronics such as cell phones in the closet just in case they might come in handy someday, recycling can actually earn extra cash that you can put towards purchasing a more up-to-date device.
Apple, Best Buy and Staples offer free recycling programs for electronic devices of almost all brands – iPhones included! However, there are websites such as Decluttr that will accept used iPhones in exchange for cash; before selling your old phones for cash it’s essential that all data has been removed – whether using software programs or physically destroying it first.
If you are concerned that your data could fall into criminal hands, one option to protect it would be donating an old phone to a non-profit organization such as Cell Phones for Soldiers which will refurbish it before handing it onto military members who can use it as a lifeline to contact loved ones back home.
Electronics Take-back Coalition provides a list of manufacturer recycling programs in the US for electronics that include laptops, desktop computers, monitors, printers, keyboards and mice; lithium-ion batteries as well as other hazardous materials can also be recycled by these programs.
Recycling is Good for the Community
People often upgrade their iPhones every year, which leaves millions of old smartphones sitting idle in our junk drawers across the nation. Throwing these away without proper recycling would be foolish as many contain harmful chemicals like mercury, lead, and cadmium which may leach into the environment and harm wildlife.
Use an Apple Store or electronics recycling drop-off point instead, or search online or contact your town, city, or county government. In New York state-mandated programs like Secondwave Recycling makes recycling old phones simple.
Before giving your old phone to a recycler, ensure all important data has been backed up and erased completely. Remove your SIM card if applicable; physically destroy the phone by placing it on a sheet of paper and driving over it several times with your car or grinding it with a metal grinder.
Your other option for recycling your iPhone could be to donate it. Check with your carrier or visit websites such as Eco Cell that partner with local zoos and wildlife organizations to collect used smartphones for recycling, providing proceeds from refurbishing them back to these organizations for research and conservation activities.
Recycling is Good for Your Health
Even if your old iPhone is no longer in mint condition, don’t just throw it away; rather recycle it to reduce environmental impacts and potentially make a little cash in return. Donating it to an organization such as Cell Phones for Soldiers – providing free mobile service to active-duty troops – or 911 Cell Phone Bank (offering low cost devices to vulnerable citizens in communities nationwide) would be ideal ways of recycling it responsibly and giving back.
Apple Stores provide convenient recycling programs for iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches – if you can’t make it in person visit Renew to request a mailing label and get it off your hands free.
Many smartphones contain toxic materials like mercury, lead, cadmium and flame retardants which, when left in landfills, can leach into the surrounding soil and pollute it – this may affect both humans and wildlife nearby.
To minimize this waste, it’s a good idea to recycle old iPhones and electronics when their useful lives have expired. Recycling more is even better! Just remember to back up any important data before doing this; Goodwill also offers a gadget recycling program which will take care of all this for you!
Eliana Sawvel is a sustainability advocate and researcher who writes about eco-friendly practices, material reuse, and the impact of recycling on climate change. She is passionate about educating businesses and individuals on responsible waste management.