The Best Ways To Recycle Last Year’s Tech

Whether you got a new phone for Christmas or your New Year's resolution is to declutter your space, one thing's for sure: You need to do something about the collection of old phones in your pad.

Keeping your old phone forgotten in a dusty drawer does nothing for you, or the phone. Instead, gather it and get rid of it the right way — through recycling or donation.

If your first thought is, Ugh, that sounds like so much work, guess what? It's actually not! Your wireless carrier, your phone manufacturer, and even nonprofit organizations want to make it as easy as possible for you to get your unused phone into the hands of someone who needs it. Your old iPhone could save someone's life. And if it's too cracked and broken to be worth using, that's okay, too — recyclers may still find useful components inside that they can pay you for.

We promise: Once your old phone is gone, you won't miss it, and you may even feel good about its new home. Here's how to resell, recycle, or reuse the tech you don't use anymore.