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Cell phones, iPods, computers, batteries and tons of other electronics contain toxic metals that can pollute the environment and threaten human health. It’s not always easy to figure out what to do with this stuff because ecycling is not as easy as recycling. However, many companies and programs offer free environmentally friendly disposal (and sometimes even provide additional incentives for recycling used products including cash or discounts). Here’s what we’ve learned – feel free to send in other tips you’ve found to be helpful on this front.

CELL PHONES

• Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and other providers will take your old phones and put them back into circulation if you bring them into their stores.
• You can also ship used cell phones for free through www.recyclemycellphone.org.

IPODS and MOBILE MUSIC LISTENING DEVICES

• Anyone who drops off a used iPod, iPod mini or iPod photo to any of Apple’s retail stores in the US will receive a 10 percent discount on the purchase of a new iPod that day.
• Best Buy will accept used PDA’s, iPods, MP3 Players, Pagers, and other wireless devices.
• Staples will also recycle cell phones, PDAs and chargers for free.

COMPUTERS/LAPTOPS/ACCESSORIES

• Apple will recycle your old computer and monitor (regardless of manufacturer) with the purchase of any qualifying Apple computer or monitor.
• Dell will recycle all Dell products free of charge.
• Computer monitors, desktops, laptops, printers, faxes and all-in-ones are accepted for recycling for a fee of $10 (keyboards, mice, modems, and speakers can be recycled for free with a larger item). Laptops, LCD monitors, and desktops in working order can be traded in for Staples coupons at Staples.com/greensight .

BATTERIES

Whole Foods Market, Staples and RadioShack are a few of the many places that recycle used batteries. Visit Earth911.org for more locations near you.

LIGHTBULBS

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are much more energy efficient than standard light bulbs, but they pose a huge environmental risk if not recycled correctly because they contain mercury, which is extremely harmful for the environment if left in a landfill. You can bring unbroken compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to The Home Depot and they will recycle for free.

GENERAL TIPS FOR E-CYCLING

Buy what you need, and re-use or recharge when possible. To find a recycling or re-use location near you visit Earth911.org and input the product you are trying to recycle and where you are located. Earth911 will generate a list of locations that recycle used products in your area.

For more information visit http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/donate.htm for additional companies and programs that recycle used electronics properly.

E-WASTE = NOT GOOD

• One cell phone that is thrown in the trash can pollute up to 40,000 gallons of ground water.
• The EPA estimates cell phones are thrown away at a rate of 130 million a year—that equals 65,000 tons of waste containing toxic metals
• There are more than 500 million used cell phones in the U.S. sitting in people’s drawers or in our landfills
• Less than 2% of old cell phones are being recycled today.
• On average, the original owner keeps a laptop computer for only three years and will discard their cell phone after only 24 months.
• In 2004, there were 315 million obsolete computers in the U.S. That amounted to 1.2 billion pounds of lead, 2 million pounds of cadmium, and 400,000 pounds of mercury into waste streams.
• In many U.S. states, particular electronic components are regulated as hazardous waste.
• 400 million units of e-waste is scrapped each year.
• 133,000 PCs are discarded each day in the US.
• Only 12.5% of disposed e-waste is recycled.
• Virtually zero percent of tiny portable devices like MP3 players are recycled when they break or become outdated because they fit in the trash.
• To manufacture one computer and monitor, it takes 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 48 pounds of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water.
• Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular, phones, watches, laptop computers and portable power tools. Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air.
• In America, one-in-six children born every year have been exposed to mercury levels so high that they are potentially at risk for learning disabilities, motor skill impairment and short-term memory loss.
• The mercury from one fluorescent bulb can pollute 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe levels for drinking
• 100 four-foot fluorescent lamps contain about 4 grams of mercury. It only takes 1 teaspoon of mercury to contaminate a 20-acre lake forever.
• Each year, an estimated 600 million fluorescent lamps are disposed of in U.S. landfills amounting to 30,000 pounds of mercury waste.