If you’ve ever been in a situation where you have an unused or unwanted piece of technology, it’s not always easy to know what to do with it. The two easiest answers seem to be to either throw it away or sell it on as a second-hand device, if possible.
However, I instead wanted to focus on the benefits of recycling. In addition to the environmental benefits and other factors, this still allowed me to sell my macbook pro. If you haven’t considered the benefits of recycling already, this should hopefully help change your mind.
Retail Value
The first thing one can easily notice when trying to sell an old device is the change in retail value. Even if you’ve only had it a year, its value is not what it was when you picked if off the shelf. Of course, no second-hand item is ever worth its shelf-value brand new, but the rate in which the value disappears can surprise some. Yet it makes sense when you consider the rate in which new, better, options hit store shelves.
Likewise, selling this item on to a second-hand retailer is nowhere near as valuable as you may think. In addition to the costs of running a shop, such a business has to buy off you at a price even lower than the second-hand value; they have to sell it for a profit after all. As such, this is arguably one of the worse places you can go to sell an unwanted Macbook.
Recycling Value
The value when recycling, however, is not based on age or popularity. You don’t need to be a computer expert to understand that the inner workings of any computer device are more or less the same. The cards may change and it may look different, but when it comes down to individual resources and materials, things rarely change. A motherboard alone nearly always has the likes of zinc, copper and gold; all important materials in the technology industry.
As such, recycling puts a high value on any unwanted gadget. As such, the Macbook Pro suddenly became yet another valuable resource. No matter how old or unwanted it was as a usable gadget, its recycling potential ensured it was always able to sell for a reason value.
An Environmentally Friendly Option
Additionally, as a final incentive, if you’re one of those people that care about the environment and the world around you, then recycling older gadgets definitely has even more advantages. In addition to the financial profits, you’re doing the right thing by putting the unwanted computing device to better use.
Recycling is the opposite to throwing it away. My Macbook Pro didn’t end up in a landfill taking up space. Instead, it was broken up into smaller parts and materials. That one Macbook now might exist as any number of modern gadgets and electronics. Likewise, re-using these resources means less is needed to be dug up and extracted from the earth. It’s not much but, in addition to being paid, you can’t argue with a little extra piece of mind knowing you’ve done your part.
I’m Caroline Jordan and from as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with technology. Shortly after I decided to sell my macbook pro in favour of a new Windows laptop, I grew to love writing about tech too. This is something I do, even now, blogging about all the various aspects of technology.