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Does Best Buy recycle?

By Our Lovely Earth
Page last updated: 03/05/2022 | Next review date: 03/05/2024
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Our Lovely Earth
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In this article, we discuss the various electronics and appliances that best buy helps its customers to recycle. Furthermore, we also discuss Best Buy’s recycling policy, and its pros and cons.

Does Best Buy recycle?

Yes, Best Buy recycles old appliances and electronics, at a nominal fee.

Best buy recycling

Best Buy has the most extensive appliance and electronics recycling programmes in the country, with customers recycling more appliances and gadgets with them than with any other company.

Every minute the Best Buy stores are open, the firm gathers more than 400 pounds of merchandise for recycling, regardless of where the products were purchased.

Technology is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream. Best Buy strives to be a part of the solution as the world’s largest retailer of consumer electronics. 

This was a crucial component of Best Buy’s “Renew Blue” transition. As a result of the customers’ efforts, Best Buy franchises were able to achieve their target of recycling more than 2 billion pounds of electronics by the end of 2020.

Before you bring your devices into your local Best Buy, there are a few things you should know:

  • Every day, you can recycle up to three items per home.
  • Although we recycle many goods for free, there are certain items that must be paid for.
  • Your outdated technology could be worth something! To find out, utilise our Trade-in Calculator.
  • When a replacement device is delivered by Geek Squad or Best Buy House Delivery, we remove TVs, big appliances, and exercise equipment from your home for $29.99.
  • We delete all of your devices’ data, however the recycling is handled by actual humans, so please clean your items before bringing them in.

What is e-waste and why is it a menace?

Electronic items are being purchased in greater numbers than ever before. Every day, newer, quicker technology is released, requiring electrical equipment to be upgraded on a regular basis.

This implies that laptops, cellphones, and gaming systems that are no longer in use are regularly dumped. Electronic rubbish, sometimes known as e-waste, is the word used to characterise these now-unwanted electronic items.

Electronic waste, or simply e-waste, is discarded electronics that have the potential to harm our environment if improperly disposed of.

Additionally, it should also be emphasised that electronic waste is one of the fastest increasing components of our nation’s waste stream. 

Any electronic item that is damaged, can no longer be utilised, or has become old or obsolete is included in this category.

And in an era where technology is improving nearly every electronic gadget that people own, we know that the number of devices we trash each year will continue to rise.

In New York, it is strictly prohibited to discard gadgets that contain certain ecologically hazardous elements. 

Flat-screen televisions, monitors, computers, laptops, mouse, keyboards, mini servers, printers and scanners, tablets, MP3 players, VCRs, DVD players, and other electronic devices are included.

Cell phones, smartphones, pagers, stereos, radios, landline telephones, cameras, and CD players are all examples of e-waste.

All smart gadgets, from iPhones to iPads, Apple Watches, Fitbits, Kindles, Nooks, and Amazon Fire Tablets; Virtual Reality (VR) gear; Virtual Assistants; Electric scooters; and more have recently been added to the list as electronics makers become more sophisticated.

You can bet that as soon as a new device is produced, a new and even more inventive model will be released within months, compelling us to replace the now-outdated version.

Advantages of recycling e-waste

There are certain advantages associated with recycling e-waste which is crucial for the environment as well. Some of these advantages are:

  • Prevents toxic hazards
  • Allows us to reuse materials
  • Takes care of the environment

We shall discuss these in more detail.

Prevents toxic hazards

If not properly disposed of, e-waste can include toxic compounds such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, which can pollute the environment.

When e-waste is disposed of in landfills, hazardous chemicals can leak into soil and rivers, harming populations and the environment, as the Minamata tragedy demonstrated.

Even trace amounts of these harmful elements might create difficulties, but the situation becomes considerably more serious when millions of e-waste devices are deposited in landfills.

Recycling can securely remove mercury and other hazardous compounds from e-waste, keeping them from ending up in landfills and damaging the environment.

Allows us to reuse materials

E-waste contains valuable metals and materials that may be utilised in the manufacture of your next smartphone or tablet.

When e-waste is recycled, tin, nickel, zinc, aluminium, copper, silver, gold, and plastic may all be recovered.

Many of these non-renewable resources, on the other hand, may never be utilised again if they are tossed in the trash and wind up in landfill.

Recycling e-waste keeps finite resources out of landfills and puts them to use in new products, minimising our reliance on new materials.

Takes care of the environment

We are all responsible for environmental protection, and one of the simplest ways to do so is to reduce the amount of e-waste that ends up in landfills.

According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2017, around 44.7 million metric tonnes of e-waste were created globally in 2016, with just 20% being collected and repurposed.

On top of all the other garbage that ends up in landfill, there’s a lot of electrical gadgets, white goods, and machinery.

Things to do before disposing your electronics

If you’re  disposing of an electronic item that used to store sensitive data, such as a mobile phone, laptop, or a computer, be sure that any confidential or personally identifying data has been completely deleted from your hard drive.

Before you do this, make sure you have all of the files you need on your new device. None of your files will be usable after you begin eliminating information.

For laptops and mobiles, you can’t assume that destroying your hard disc will keep your data secure. You must take actions to ensure the deletion of your data.

You may clear your storage disc in a variety of methods. The first option is to physically destroy the hard disc. It might be difficult to locate a facility that will shred hard disc drives, but it assures that no data can be retrieved.

Solid state drives are easier to shred because there is more equipment available. There will be document shredding providers in some places that will also be able to shred storage discs.

You may also buy or download software that will wipe all of the data on your hard disc for free. By independently verifying the company and the software, you can be certain that it does what you need it to do. 

The US Department of Defense’s 5220.22-M standard should be followed while developing software.

Alternatives to disposing an old electronic appliance

If disposing of your old electronic appliance at a Best Buy store is  not a viable option, you can look into the following options:

  • Repurpose
  • Donate 
  • Recycle

We shall discuss these in more detail.

Repurpose

Components or even complete computers may frequently be reused for a new purpose.

An old storage drive can be wiped and converted to an external drive, which can be used for backups or additional storage, while some appliances would merely require a repair.

An outdated electronic appliance can be repurposed. For example, an old computer may be converted into a home server, allowing you to link your network to household gadgets such as streaming devices.

Donate


Consider giving your devices to a charity if they are still usable. Many organisations might benefit from your outdated electrical equipment. 

Computers and components can sometimes be donated to a charity group, which subsequently sells or recycles them to enthusiasts.

Check with your favourite charity to see if they can make use of your old electronic appliances.

Recycle

There may be several choices for recycling your electronic appliances depending on your town. 

Occasionally, organisations may hold recycling campaigns to collect a truckload of gadgets. This is a fantastic technique to recycle in quantity.

In certain localities, there will be a location where electronic appliances may be safely disposed of. 

This is frequently associated with the municipal sanitary landfill, waste collection, or recycling services. You’ll need to do some research because there may be limited hours or collection points.

For example, throwing a computer in the garbage is never a smart idea. 

There are components important to someone creating a computer and heavy metals that no one wants in the environment, in addition to contributing to the quantity of garbage.

Conclusion

Yes, Best Buy accepts old electronic appliances for recycling. Best Buy has voluntarily run the United States’ most extensive e-waste recycling operation since 2009. 

They are still the only national shop to offer this service, making them an industry leader. They are entirely devoted to serving as a handy local option for customers looking to get rid of their old gadgets and appliances properly.

Best Buy will make modifications from time to time to guarantee the service’s long-term viability, such as charging fees to recycle specific goods for which recycling prices have skyrocketed.

If you cannot recycle your electronic appliance at a Best Buy, you can recycle them elsewhere, or just repurpose them, or donate them to a charity of your choice.

FAQs

Does Best Buy still take old electronics?

With a few exceptions, Best Buy accepts most gadgets and major appliances. More information about recycling limits for individual goods in your state may be found on the Electronics and Appliances Recycling main page of their website.

Best Buy’s voluntary in-store and online recycling programmes do not accept any goods that have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Does Best Buy charge for recycling electronics?

Best buy charges a nominal fee for recycling certain electronics. For the rest, recycling is absolutely free of cost and hassle-free.

People can recycle up to 3 electronic appliances per day at the nearest Best Buy store. It is recommended that you check their website in order to assess which devices can be recycled for free.

Will Best Buy destroy hard drives?

No, Best Buy will not physically destroy your hard drives. Best Buy has a policy where they hand over hard drives to a third party that specialises in handling hard drives and other similar components in an e-waste.

Therefore, it is recommended that you remove any data present on the hard drive before giving your PC or laptop to Best Buy for recycling.

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