Recycling Your iPhone

So if you were one of the lucky folks to get your hands on a new iPhone 4 today, congratulations. But if you're feeling a tad guilty about making the switch from your previous phone to this latest gadget, you aren't alone. There are a lot of reasons to frown on a culture that encourages us to dispose of sophisticated and expensive technology as quickly as we toss aside our outdated (but perfectly functional) computers and smartphones.

After all, cellphones are hardly green products, and a good move towards sustainable living is to make sure that we help minimize the impact of throwing things like cellphones (iPhones or otherwise) into the landfill.

Here are three suggestions for recycling your older smartphone when you upgrade to the newest, shiniest toy on the shelf:

1. Resale: There are several companies that will buy your used gadgets -- whether they are in working condition or now -- in exchange for cash. Alternately, you can trade these in for charitable donations. A few options include BuyMyTronics.com, FlipSwap, and NextWorth. These and other companies allow you to send in a variety of electronics -- not just your iPhones but your iPods (remember those?) as well.

2. Give it back to Apple or AT&T: Apple has its own project.

3. eBay: eBay's Rethink Initiative provides a platform for you to sell your unwanted electronics. Auction your old iPhone on eBay!

No matter which option you choose, it's important to keep iPhones - as with any other consumer electronic - out of landfills. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 70% of heavy metals in landfills comes from discarded electronics, even though electronic waste represents only 2% of America's trash in landfills.

Although many of us are becoming increasingly reliant on smartphone technologies, just because we're upgrading to a new device doesn't mean our old one is "garbage." Make sure you recycle your cellphone -- whether you're getting an iPhone today or not.

Photo Credit: Flickr