Recycling Old Tech Can Save You Money

For the past five years, my old iPhone X sat unused in a cabinet, the corner of the screen blemished by a shatter from when I dropped it without a case. It serves no purpose. But Apple’s trade-in program will offer me a $25 credit for it. 

Just $25? This was the first iPhone with a starting cost of $1,000. And now, the value of trading it in wouldn’t cover my family’s dinner at McDonald’s. So yes, I can relate to headlines about how 31% of US adults are holding on to unused devices at home. I know how hard it can be to ditch old tech memories when it only results in a few bucks on a store gift card — or nothing at all. 

But recent news from Apple had me thinking twice about gear I’ve been hoarding. The company has a promotion that offers discounts on accessories for recycling all sorts of old tech. And it’s not just Apple stores. Amazon also has a limited-time promotion offering extra discounts for trading in your devices.

So this week’s episode of One More Thing (embedded above) is about having one fewer thing — and how to get the most value out of trading in your old tech. It’s better for our planet if we repurpose rare earth metals and other device materials. But there are also new financial motivators to declutter and give abandoned devices a second life. 

If you’re looking for more One More Thing, subscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey breaking down the latest Apple news and issues every Friday.