It's Earth Day, which makes it a good time to announce a new partnership between Wired.com and YouRenew, a start-up that buys back old gadgets and recycles what it can't resell.
Lots of companies these days provide take-back programs that let consumers get rid of old gear responsibly. We've got nothing against that, and more companies ought to be doing it. And there's always EBay.
Still, navigating all of the various recycling policies can be a problem. Even if we all know recycling is the right thing to do, it can be a hassle. I don't know about you, but I've got at least four cell phones in my drawer I no longer use, not to mention old junk at home. (Tivo Series One, anyone?)
YouRenew is one of a number of start-ups looking to turn that old junk into cash, while also diverting harmful discards from the landfill. (Disclosure: Wired gets a percentage of each sale.)
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we're kicking off a challenge aimed at recycling 40,000 consumer electronics devices between April 22 and May 21.
Participating is easy. Look for the Wired YouRenew widget (displayed above) on Wired.com. Find some old gear you no longer want, and enter the device into the widget. Answer some questions about the condition of your gear, and you'll get an offer.
Homepage picture courtesy a.drian/flickr. Used via a Creative Commons license.
