Green Living Tips 10.12.09
EcoATM Accepts Used Cell Phones and Gives Store Credit
Could gadget recycling get easier than this? In a similar vein as ATM-like change machines, where you bring your bucket-o-coins, dump them in and out pops a far more convenient currency, EcoATM wants to buy back your old cell phones with this cool kiosk. Insert cell phone, withdraw currency.
EcoATM has set up kiosks where visitors can drop off a cell phone and instantly get store credit or a gift card. EcoATM wants this to be a regular feature in stores all over the place, encouraging people to recycle their mobile devices thanks to sheer ease. No printing free shipping labels to mail off devices to recyclers, or clicking through buy back websites to find out the trade-in value. You just would head down to a favorite store, drop off the phone, and start shopping.
CNET reports, "The self-serve e-cycling station electronically inspects phones, assigns them real-time secondary market value, and provides in-store payment--if the handset still has any monetary worth. If not, consumers can choose to assign the device to the recycle bin, and then it's on its way to getting recycled or refurbished."
The EcoATM has proven itself very successful. That success will spread as the company installs machines at wireless stores and big-box retailers. They also plan an even bigger roll-out in the middle of next year. It's a no-brainer for the retail stores, as they get the machines for free, plus get that much more help complying with municipal e-waste laws. Machines will be upgraded eventually to expand to gadgets beyond cell phones, bringing the gadget buy-back experience offline and in more people's sphere of thought.
Hopefully, putting machines like this front and center will increase the numbers of devices that stay within the consumer stream, rather than get directed towards landfills.
Source: www.treehugger.com.
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