How to Recycle your Old iPhone

It’s a norm that whenever you acquired the latest model of iPhone, the old one is just left down in one corner unused, untouched, and forever alone. What should you do with your old iPhone in order for it to be useful again? Then recycle it!

A tradition has been brought by the Apple company that influenced and changed the way millions of people think with their phones. Steve Jobs is evidently a great entrepreneur. He surely knows how to hang the satisfaction of his consumers upon purchasing his phones.

What he does is create a new model of the phone he previously created, with minimal changes and added features on it, not giving everything all up in one device. This will subconsciously make consumer wanting more of what Apple can bring to their table on its next released model.

In a sense, people upgrade their iPhones as soon as the new one has dawned the market. And if you’re lucky, your old model still worths a lot which then you can resell to help you gather a fund for buying the latest one. However, the old one is not worth the materials its used to be created of.

If you happen to own a super old modeled iPhone (like iPhone 4 or iPhone 5 for example), it would be more trouble than it’s worth selling. If that’s the case, then consider recycling preferably. Not only it’s better for our environment, it saves you from the effort selling it and finding a buyer who will still value that phone if you ever find a single one.

Before Bidding Goodbye to your Old iPhone

If you happen to have an old iPhone you want to get rid of, erasing the whole data on it is a must. Though the process of erasing the whole data isn’t as easy as clearly pressing the Erase button, the process of erasing it isn’t that hard either. All you have to do is follow and perform precisely the guide below.

• Having an Apple Watch paired with your iPhone shall require you to unpair it before letting it go. All you have to do is utilize your iPhone’s Watch app to unpair it. Doing this shall ensure that every data on your Watch will be backed up to your iPhone before the unpairing happens.
• The next thing to do is create a backup for your iPhone. This single step is the most important of them all because all of your iPhone’s data that is not stored or synced in your iCloud will have a copy on your iCloud. If you’re planning to get rid of your old model because you’ll be acquiring a new one soon, you can easily restore the data from your old model to the new one using the iCloud. This will also include your Watch data, which can be easily restored when you pair your Watch with your new iPhone.
• From the old iPhone, log out your App Store, iTunes and iCloud accounts. Rather than erasing the data on the old model, just follow these simple steps to remove the connection between your iCloud and your old model iPhone. This will preserve every data on your iCloud account.
  

1. Be sure to create a backup for everything. Once done, press Settings
2. Press General
3. Click the Reset option
4. Press Erase All Content and Settings
5. If you happen to activate Find My iPhone, log in your Apple ID and password
6. Type in the iPhone’s passcode or restriction code when requested. Once done, press Erase iPhone

How Can you Recycle your Old iPhone?

Given that you have managed to have done all the steps above, your old iPhone shall have zero files on it. Now you can recycle it without considering privacy issues in the future. If you’re planning to recycle it, here are some options you can go for.

Send It Back to Apple

Apple, being the Tech giant it is, is consciously aware and extremely concern with our Mother Nature. Because of this, they have created their own recycling program. What you can do is drop off any Apple-made devices on any Apple retail store, or visit Apple’s website to have it email you a prepaid mailing label. Apple and its third-party sellers will accept smartphones and other devices from other manufacturers. On their website, a link to its free recycling programs for 15 states in the United States is included.

Go to E-Waste Charity Fundraisers

Local service organizations (such as Rotary or Lion’s Clubs) and non-profits (for example, schools, churches, and scouting organizations) often schedule an e-waste collection days. For paying a small fee, you can ensure that these organizations will take your e-waste. Make sure that every waste is recycled, and use the fees you paid them to support their activities.

Bring It Back to your Carrier

Contact your carrier to see whether they have a recycling program for your old smartphones. Did you know that AT&T has a Trade-in Program that enables consumers to bring old smartphones, wireless phones, batteries, accessories, etc. Regardless of what carrier or manufacture created it, it can be brought upon for recycling purposes. It too offers a free mail-in program just like Apple does.

Try on your Local Municipality

Almost all of the cities, towns, or counties have an e-waste recycling program. A third party contractor then provides or manages its own for their citizens. Either go to their website or call them on their hotline to double check whether they have it or not.