Congratulations on that new purchase. Your new smartphone, television, tablet—whatever—is really swell. Now you’re left with a now-obsolete gadget, your new device’s predecessor, taking up room at home. If it isn’t worth enough to sell, what are you going to do with it?
Have you considered donating it? Just know the rules around electronics donation, because too many people drop off things that charities can’t use.
where, what, and how to donate
So, you’ve replaced that aging TV, that wonky computer monitor, that outdated pair of headphones, and you’re left contributing to that box in your closet with all those old devices that still live with you… just because.
You have no solid reason for hanging onto them, except that it’s not so easy to get rid of them. Good on you for not dumping them into the trash can or recycling bin, since you know that electronics are packed with all sorts of nasty substances, including lead, mercury, and arsenic, among others.
You could recycle them if they’re broken. Please, recycle them if they’re broken. Don’t be that jerk who dumps busted junk into charities’ donation boxes.
They can’t use it, and it takes time away from already over-stressed volunteers to sort and dispose of goods that aren’t worthy of being distributed to the needy. What is somebody to do with a cracked television, anyway? You didn’t want it. Why would they?
Start off by finding a place near you that accepts electronics as donations. The easiest way to do this is to Google “electronics donations near me.“
No donation organization I know of accepts CRT TVs. If you still have one of those bulky, ancient TVs, sell it on eBay if it works or can be repaired. If it can’t, recycle it. Charities will take working flat-panel TVs, but often with specific age restrictions that vary from organization to organization.
I’ve seen some accept only TVs four years or newer, and others say five or seven years. The takeaway is that nobody is likely to want your truly ancient college dorm room TV.
Computers, whether desktop or laptops, are largely welcome, as are tablets, cell phones, video game consoles, and stereos. Printers and scanners are in a sort of limbo. Some organizations will accept them, while others don’t want anything to do with them.
Whatever you have to donate, check with the specific organization you plan to visit. If your item isn’t listed on their website as either accepted or banned, give them a call before you hike it all the way over there.
Once you’ve dropped off your donation, but before you walk out the door, ask for a receipt that shows what you donated. When it comes time to do your taxes, you can write off much of what you donated for a small tax break. After all, you just gave back. Now it’s Uncle Sam’s time to do the same.
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