Improperly disposing of electronics releases toxins and heavy metals into the ground and any nearby water source.  Trying to find trade in or recycling programs for old electronics can be difficult or extremely costly.

EcoNEW works with three retailers to make trade ins and recycling easy.  Sam’s Club, Office Depot, and the Navy NEX have all partnered with EcoNEW to provide the service for their customers.

If your old electronics have trade in value, one of the previously mentioned retailers will issue a gift card for the trade in amount.  There are three basic steps to the process.  First, you select the product or products that you want to trade in and describe their condition.  Second, you ship the items with a prepaid shipping label.  Finally, you receive the gift card to your retailer of choice.  The gift cards can be used singly or several gift cards can be used together for discounts on new items.

Items that are eligible for trade in are desktop and laptop computers, LCD monitors, digital cameras, smart phones, camcorders, computer game consoles, and mp3 players.  The trade in value depends on the condition of the item.

EcoNEW sends a shipping label that allows you to ship your item in free of charge.  After EcoNEW inspects the item to make sure that your description of the condition is accurate, you receive your gift card.  The process is quick, painless and free.

If you have something like an old CRT monitor, printer or fax machine that you want to get out of the house or garage, you can use EcoNEW’s recycling program.  To recycle your items you can purchase a box in one of three sizes: small ($5), medium ($10), or large ($15).  You can fill the box with as many items as you want to recycle.  The box must be able to be closed but not be sealed when you take it into your retailer of choice.

The process is simple and easy to use.  The trade-in program may not net you a great deal of money, but you get a bit to make it worthwhile.  If you were to trade in an fourth generation Apple iPod in good condition, you would only get $33.  But $33 can buy you a new flash drive.

EcoNEW has a zero landfill/no export philosophy.  Using this program will keep 1.5 to 1.9 tons of electronic waste out of landfills and will be disposed of properly within the United States using proper procedures.  Other electronic recyclers have been know to ship useless electronics to third world countries where they are left in foreign landfills to pollute the land and water.

The bottom line is that EcoNEW gives you a great way to get a little money for stuff you don’t use anymore and a way to get other electronic stuff out of the house and disposed of safely.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 11:38 pm under Green Technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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