recycling tech

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I am usually loathe to throw away things, but I'm also lazy. As a result, I have a rather large box of worthless electronics, including:

used ink cartridges (both laser and inkjet)
a vast assortment of AV cables, plugs, dongles, and the like
used lithium batteries
some burnt out CFL bulbs
a dead ipod
a dead laptop

Is there a one-stop spot I could dump all this junk? Um, other than a landfill or your mom's backyard. Would prefer something walkable from a Red Line stop, but I could probably manage it in 2 bike trips as well.

Comments

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

how old is the laptop

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

the HD and motherboard are fried, which happened 4 years ago or so. it's trash.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Both at the same time? Did it get hit by lightning or something??

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

I've been dumping a lot of mine at BestBuy. Except for the CFL bulbs, those end up going to Home Depot. Theoretically they recycle it.

[ron_newman]

A lot of what?

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

Used / old electronics / batteries/ cables /cords.

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

That was going to be my suggestion: http://www.bestbuy.com/recycling

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

I've been going to the one in Watertown. There's a Best Buy on one side of Arsenal and a Home Depot across the street.

[ron_newman]

Tags Hardware will take your burned-out CFL bulbs. They may take the batteries too - I'm not sure about that. Staples will definitely take the batteries (see more below re Staples)

The first floor of MIT's Stata Center building has a bin where you can recycle any kind of battery.

Staples will take the ink cartridges, and even give you an eventual $3 credit for each one (up to 10 each month) if you have a Staples Rewards card. The nearest Staples to a Red Line stop is on JFK Street in Harvard, or you can bike to the one at Fresh Pond.

Staples will recycle the ipod for free, and the laptop for a $10 fee (unless it's a Dell, then it's free). Staples recycling programs

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I'm kinda holding out for a one-stop recycling option, but these are all good options, thanks!

[ron_newman]

Staples is pretty close to one-stop for a lot of your stuff -- ipod, laptop, ink cartridges, batteries.

You may want to offer the cables, plugs, and other working stuff to any taker by advertising it here, or on Freecycle, or on Craigslist.

[belladonna.livejournal.com]

And I was just at Staples today and the sign now says $2 cash, I think.

[ron_newman]

It's still $3 until the end of June. It goes down to $2 starting in July.

[dilllll.livejournal.com]

Stata was going to be my suggestion as well, assuming no one on Freecycle wants it. The dead laptop might be useful to someone. If it were a Thinkpad x40 for example, I'd take it. I still use mine (from 2005!), and have slowly added and replaced parts to it over the years.

I thought I remembered Stata also having a bin for cables, but I'm not certain.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Good note on the batteries. I have some odd ones to get rid of.

[ckd]

The Apple Store will recycle your old iPod and give you 10% off a new one. If you're not about to buy a new one, find someone who is and make them 10% happier :-).

[tehlunchbox.livejournal.com]

Any chance you have a spare iPod/iPhone cable you're trashing? If so, I'll come pick it up and take it off your hands. Less to haul to the dump location.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

that i'm still using for my newer ipod (I lost one of the cables). Sorry! I had good luck with overstock.com in buying a generic connector for my shuffle though--works perfect and was $2.

[figarobear.livejournal.com]

Check out GreenDisk (www.greendisk.com). It's a for-fee service, but it is easy and convenient. We used it last time we moved, and we were able to get rid of about 50 lbs. of technotrash - CDs/DVDs, VHS and audio cassettes, cables and peripherals, printers, etc. It was such a relief!

[kiloman.livejournal.com]

Try Target in Somerville. Target has recycling bins inside the store near the shopping carts. I know they definitely take used ink cartridges, and old electronics like cell phones PDAs.

http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031813
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/04/06/target-goes-for-eco-credibility-by-adding-recycling-bins-to-all-stores/

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

The Cambridge Recycling Center should take all of that stuff, and they've never asked me for ID.

batteries

[artguychris.livejournal.com]

Here's a list of places that have rechargeable battery recycling bins:
http://www.call2recycle.org/drop-off-your-old-batteries.php?c=1&d=213&e=85&f=142&w=9100&r=Y

You can also get a free box for your workplace. Just call UPS to pick it up when it's full.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

Tufts library has a bucket for:
used ink cartridges (both laser and inkjet)
used lithium batteries
some burnt out CFL bulbs