Best Buy offers up free electronics recycling in 117 stores

Best Buy already gladly accepts cellphones, batteries, ink cartridges and other items for recycling, but it looks like you can now offload some of your larger, unwanted electronics gear free of charge as well -- if you near one of the 117 stores in the Baltimore, San Francisco, and Minnesota areas that are participating in the company's new test program, that is. According to the company, those stores will now accepting up to two items per day, per household, including televisions and monitors up to 32-inches, computers, cameras and other devices not including microwaves, air conditioners. or appliances. There's no word on any future plans for expansion of the program just yet, with Best Buy only going so far as to say that it'll "evaluate the success of the test and determine options for scaling it across the U.S." Of course, there's also plenty of other recycling options available if you don't want to wait for Best Buy to make up its mind.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 2nd 2008 11:54AM]

I look back to my years working at BBY with anguish.

Fortunately, that was just a college job and now I've got my M.S. and can make my $70,000 a year rather than the $8/hour these turkeys paid.

I cold walked out on these bastuds after posting how much I hated the store's policies on Bestbuysux.org

[Juice @ Jun 2nd 2008 11:57AM]

Best Buy is going down. I hardly ever go there anymore. If I need to go to a brick and mortar(sp?) I'd rather go to CC. But honestly I'd look online first.

[tom @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:38PM]

+1

I only shop at BB for clearance items or to price matching.

[Kevin @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:55PM]

you should of asked for more. I did and they gave in. i get payed 2 bucks more than most of the part timers in my store. But i still cant afford my gasoline to go to work

http://www.atomfilms.com/film/cant_afford_gas.jsp

[johnzilla @ Jun 2nd 2008 4:01PM]

You got the last laugh on BestBuy, but is sounds like your school got the last laugh on you. A Master's and you're only pulling in $70K?

[Tyson @ Jun 2nd 2008 11:58AM]

Sorry maybe i am confused but what stops me from just tossing this stuff in the trash rather than having them refurbish it and still it back?

[Zabi @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:07PM]

Lots of electronic products contain mercury and other materials that can be harmful to the environment. Generally these programs dispose of those products in a safe manner. I HIGHLY doubt that they will refurb virtually any of it, and if you're really paranoid, damage it in such a way that it won't work anymore anyways.

[kjb434 @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:15PM]

The reality:

They are making money buy selling the recycled items for its parts.

I would only give them my old electronics if they are willing to pay me for it.

Why have them make money off of me? Feeling good from recycling is highly overrated.

[Tyson @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:27PM]

I understand that some products contain harmful materials and its not a huge thing that they make money from selling back recycled materials because if you think they do it out the kindness of their hearts you are wrong. The point is don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining. They are framing it like they are doing you a favor by taking it. I could very well throw it in the garbage whether it hurts the environment or not (at least in Missouri, Penn, and NYC you can) If the government or who ever cared so much about these materials they would sort them out at the dump or pass ordinances like in NYC where you must separate recycled material from waste or set up collections centers like they do in Penn. Best Buy i out for their own good, they are not eating the cost of disposal they are A. selling things back for parts or B. Collecting the recycling fees themselves. If you get like 10 cents a can back, and people ell scrap metal for hundreds of dollars what do you think they are getting?

[friendlyner @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:02PM]

Who cares if they make money off it? Most places charge you to recycle electronics, which is precisely why most people chuck them in the trash.

If BB can make money off what I was throwing away anyway, where is the problem? Good for the environment, good for BB, good for me. Everyone wins.

[Shahryar @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:46AM]

I Agree with friendlyner.

Planning on getting rid of some stuff today. Wish I had known about this a couple weeks ago when I Trashed some other electronics.

[kal326 @ Jun 2nd 2008 11:59AM]

Best Buy figured out another way to make a buck and keep their people busy. They are probably shipping off the stuff to their service centers were the items are stripped of valuable metals.

[Ladderless @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:15PM]

As much as I'd like to agree with you, it's tough to make a buck recycling these things. Overall, you're going to need to get creative to see profits while adhering to environmental laws in this country.

Much of these types of parts end up in third world countries where the metals can be reclaimed while the rest goes to pullute the local environment and population.

Even then, the profits are few and far between.

[tom @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:41PM]

I agree! Bestbuy will probably take out the valuable items and ship the rest to developing countries as scraps (NIMBY policy)

NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard

[Jared @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:45PM]

@ Latter

Taking the gold out of computers is more profitable than mining for the mineral. There is a profit to be made in this, but I personally don't mind someone making a buck off of getting rid of my junk and doing something good for the environment

[Rodrigo @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:01PM]

you can also recycle with

www.BCDElectro.com

for the Texas / Oklahoma / Arkansas / Louisiana area

[Low Ranked @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:02PM]

Are there electronics in that area?

[darkstar @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:03PM]

im confused. do they give you cash for your old stuffs or maybe store credits?
if not, i rather offload my stuffs on ebay then!

[konshuss @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:04PM]

wow, best buy will let me lug my old 21" crt in and won't charge me a dime to take it? this is clearly a bargain... oops, i got tired and dropped it on the curb. sorry big faceless corporation.

[ralph @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:07PM]

Men aren't fat Lois, only fat women are fat

[SteveJ @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:14PM]

Just to be clear on this, they will take broken stuff? I.e. they are just recycling materials? I have a broken iMac G3 that I was just going to take to the landfill, but I would certainly prefer to have it disposed of properly.

[Rob @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:17PM]

I think this recycling program is for "non-working" electronics or whatever else you want to get rid of. What difference does it make what Best Buy does with it if you wanted to get rid of it in the first place. I have an old temperamental tv that works when it feels like it. I'd like to toss it out. I also have a couple of CRT monitors too. So, if BB is willing to help out, while bringing store traffic into their stores, then I'd do it.

[Turtle @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:20PM]

Cool I have all sorts of old crap my new wife wants me to get rid of, old 14" monitors and busted Sony CD players and whatnot.

[Kevin @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:21PM]

Now if they only started to Recycle all of the paper, packaging material from new products. I cleaned out my department the other day and had about a ton of expired sale prices, ads, boxes ect... I was like "ok. where's the recycle bin?" they just pointed at the dumpster :*/

[Wii60 @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:23PM]

I chucked a CRT yesterday. It was missing some pins so it was useless. I wanted to recycle it, but there was no easy way to do it. I applaud them for giving it a shot, but I'd rather sell the parts to an interested party. If they gave little 5 dollar gift certificates, I'd be more impressed. They'll still make a decent amount from the parts.

[Joe Maki @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:45PM]

I'm surprised at the number of people who think their junk is worth anything. I have a functional 19" Sony (from 1976) that is worth zip. Goodwill doesn't even take electronics anymore. If I want to dispose of it my local recycling center will charge me $19.00 if I bring it in. BestBuy is actually taking a responsible position. They contribute to the problem by selling electronics, they've been getting pressure to help pay for disposing of the waste. I suspect the pilot program will be too sucessful. Here in MN they will get buried in junk electronics. They will find some excuse to eliminate the program due to the cost.

The people who take pride in being able to throw their eloctornics in the garbage are the same people who leave their old mattresses in a ditch next to the road. Try doing the right thing :)

[Josh L @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:12PM]

Considering that my government is making moves to rob me and every other citizen of this country blind in the service of junk science and sensationalist media reporting, "the right thing" seems to me to be whatever I damn well please.

If I'm going to be forced to "make a difference", then I'll feel even better about not recycling or doing anything else to help the planet unless it also directly serves me.

[Ladderless @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:53PM]

If you have working electronics (Or even stuff that marginally works, or will require simple repairs), try this:

www.freecycle.org

If there's a group in your area, you can easily find people who can use your "outdated" stuff.

One man's garbage...

[tanntraad @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:49PM]

All electronics stores here in Norway will take ALL of your electronic crap (by law). Same goes for every landfill. Free of charge of course.

[JMM @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:17PM]

This is now an EU wide regulation:
Distributors supplying new electronics have to ensure that Waste Electronics from private households can be returned, free of charge, on a one-for-one, like for like basis.

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_Electrical_and_Electronic_Equipment_Directive

[Steven Wentzel @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:09PM]

Inspired by the spelling bee:

Recycling.

R-E-C-Y-C-L-I-N-G

Recycling.

I know it wouldn't be Engadget without typos, though.

[Tim @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:17PM]

Well i worked at the bestbuy store in ohio for 2 years and 2004-06 and we always did this so why is this new?

[andyg8180 @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:30PM]

God there are a lot of retards in the comments today...

RECYCLE is different than REFURB...

so, i have no clue why anyone is bad-mouthing the program... either they dispose of your worthless crap for FREE the PROPER WAY or you leave it on the side of the road and it goes to the dump... and pollutes the soil...

why dont some of you click the READ button for more DETAILS... and STUFF... its not like the DONT put the READ button THERE for any particular reason...

THE

[Patrick @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:21PM]

apparently some people hate best buy so much that they'd rather throw stuff away than have best buy recycle it.

[Tyson @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:17PM]

If it was such the right thing to do and the only way such things should be disposed of why doesn't the government mandate it, or set up programs to collect these things? I am sure it is a better options esp. if the stuff is toxic or whatever but being self righteous about how you dispose of your old junk does not make you captain planet or Al Gore. Refurbish is different than recycle every idiot knows that but they are two mutually exclusive esp. when a company can take parts away from old devices and sell them like lcd displaces which are sold for a bunch of money used. or they an take the aluminum and metals and sell them as scrap. open your eyes, noone is slamming them its just a point of clarification that they are not doing people a favor.

[graham.williams @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:37PM]

Actually, in many places there are heavy fees for recycling these goods. This is a zero-sum or loss proposition for Best Buy... they are actually doing it to bring a little good in the world. Shocker, I know. Perhaps we could stow the cynicism once in a while.

[Matt @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:56PM]

Um... what is "reycling"?

[jackcutts @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:04PM]

www.mygreenelectronics.org

[Matt @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:07PM]

still doesn't answer what RE-EYCLING is (as referred to in the headline)

[Matt @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:07PM]

(which I assume is the phonetic spelling)

[Raimo @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:28PM]

Here in Finland all electronics stores accept all kinds of electronics back for recycling for free, which was pretty handy when everyone switched from CRT TVs to flat screens. It's funded by a small tax levied on all electronics sold (depending on the size)

[dukemang @ Jun 2nd 2008 5:16PM]

I just see a lot more "open box" buys showing up in those stores.

[Baz @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:30AM]

All very well and good for Best Buy to offer to take dead and dying electronics off our hands (providing, of course, its not just done as ploy to get us in the store and your electronics don't just end up in the dumpster anyway), but if they really wanted to increase foot traffic, sales and be kind to the environment, they (and other electronics big boxes) should offer decent trade-ins for working used equipment when you upgrade to newer stuff.

They could even afford to be reasonably generous in this regard as they could then donate this equipment to the many non-profits looking for such equipment for a tax write off AND still sell us consumers a new bit of kit.

Of course, consumers could donate directly to these non-profits for a deduction, but the appeal of getting rid of old electronics and getting some financial consideration all at the same place you are buying new makes it attractive and one less step.

[Omegablue14 @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:56AM]

Best Buy has always done this as a previous poster stated, they are just now choosing to publish it. I worked for BBY for 3 years as a manager and you could bring in any old electronics items, working or broken, and have them sent off for free. You have to sign and authorization to destroy for every electronic piece. They are obviously choosing to make it public for PR, foot traffic, and what not. Thought the article states otherwise, i took them an old microwave just last month and they took it. I checked around town and everyone else wanted to charge me to get rid of a broken TV and Microwave, but Best Buy took it for free. At least BBY helped me to free up space in my garage with out charging me like everyone else wanted to do.

[Ava @ Jan 4th 2009 2:09PM]

I am so glad that Best Buy is doing this, I only wish that the Best Buy near me would do it. I really don't want this my old things to end up in a landfill because of all the chemical stuff in electronics, but I just don't have the time to deal with pulling it all apart and trying to take it where each piece needs to go, and so now I'm swimming in all this old stuff I don't use! Staples is doing something kinda like this, but they charge you to take it unless it's a Dell product. Thank you Best Buy, when can I get rid of all this stuff in my hometown?