I know a few people who have had this dilemma. What do you do with unwanted iPhones? We try to reuse them within our family…hand-me-downs are the best! We definitely don’t want to throw them away as we are already aware of electronic waste, right?
This week, Apple Canada announced the iPhone Reuse and Recycling Program in Canada. The offer is an affordable way to upgrade to a new iPhone by getting a store credit of up to $275 based on the value of the current, working iPhone and regardless of who your carrier is. It gives us an opportunity to upgrade while doing it in an environmentally responsible way.
The program has been offered online for the past 3 years and now it’s added the convenience for customers to visit a local Apple store for immediate trade in.
According to an Apple spokesperson, “iPhones hold great value. So, Apple Retail Stores in Canada are launching a new program to assist customers who wish to bring in their previous-generation iPhone for reuse or recycling. In addition to helping support the environment, customers will be able to receive a credit for their returned phone that they can use toward the purchase of a new iPhone.”
So, what happens next? Sometimes the device will be dismantled and parts such as metals, plastics and glass will be recycled. For more information on the recycling program, you can visit www.apple.com
On a side note…it’s always a good idea to restore any device to factory settings before handing them over to anyone. It’s pretty easy to do but if you’re not sure how to do this with your iPhone, the staff at Apple will assist you.
it would be great if the companies…phone, appliance, car…whatever!…stopped using “planned obsolescence” as part of their formula, then we wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with all of our electronic “garbage”. glad they’re trying to do something, tho’…