For those with an “old electronics” box sitting in a basement or just an iPhone that has seen better days, recycling is worth considering.

Where is the best place to recycle old cell phones?

If you don’t want to spend hours finding the right place to recycle your old ones mobile phoneshere is a list of 10 options. Some are buyback programs or official channels, and others are non-profit donations.

1. Best buy

Best buy has recycling kiosks in its US stores and offers free in-store recycling. The company typically limits the number of units to three per family per day. It works with recycling companies to ensure phones and other electronics don’t end up in landfills.

2. Staples

Staples accepts laptops, cell phones, batteries, accessories and more. Staples has over 1,000 stores in the United States and a few international locations. The stores offer gift cards in exchange for trade-ins of certain devices. Rewards members can collect points to bring in units for recycling.

3. Your carrier or manufacturer

Many carriers or manufacturers offer recycling programs. TO has a trade-in program for unwanted phones and accessories regardless of manufacturer or operator. The owner receives a “promotional card” to reduce the price of a new phone or other purchase. Verizon Also offers a trade-in program where the owner receives an electronic gift card when they send in the phone and get it valued.

Apple stores and Google recycle used products for free.

4. Local facilities

Your city undoubtedly has places to recycle old phones. Most government websites, including those in New York Cityprovide directions on where to recycle phones. Many cities have non-profit organizations that donate old phones as well. EPA have an opportunity to find out what electronics you can recycle with drop-in options.

SEE: Recycling of plastic and other waste can be an important part of technical product life cycles.

5. Eco-cell

Eco-Cell is a Louisville, Kentucky-based e-waste recycling company. It partners with non-profit organizations and organizations such as the Jane Goodall Institute. The bins are located in coffee shops and other businesses across the country, where the collected phones are sent to Eco-Cell in Louisville. If the phones are reusable, they resell them and send some of the money back to the owner. If they are not reusable, the phones are recycled and the owner gets the money for the value of the recycled material.

6. Physician’s Telephone Donation Program

The Hope Phones campaign was started in 2009 by Medic Mobile, which works to advance healthcare in 16 countries using mobile technology. Now known as Medic’s phone donation programindividuals, non-profits, groups or businesses can donate old phones. The mobile devices are recycled and valued, so the nonprofit can get new technology for the field. Most old models are valued at $5, but newer smartphones are regularly valued at $80, according to the site. Submit a phone to the program by unboxing it and sending it to the Colorado address listed on the website.

7. Cell phones for soldiers

Cell phones for soldiers is a non-profit organization that provides free communications services to active duty military and veterans. The revenue from the phones goes to buy international phone cards. New or gently used cell phones are accepted, and each $5 device turns into 2.5 hours of free talk time for Soldiers.

8. Gazelle

Gazelle is one of the most popular trade-in options for old mobile phones. The dealership is headquartered in Boston, Louisville, Kentucky and Texas. Choose your phone’s brand, model and operator, describe its shape and then get an offer. Ship it for free and receive a check or gift card to Amazon.com or PayPal after Gazelle assesses its value.

9. Call2Recycle

Call2Recycle is a free recycling program for batteries and cell phones in the US and Canada. It has collection boxes that can be placed anywhere with shipping permission, so mailing them is easy. Call2Recycle offers bulk shipping if you want to send them something recyclable.

10. EcoATM

EcoATM is an automated kiosk that collects your unwanted cell phones and tablets and gives you money for them. It’s made by the same people who make CoinStar, so you’ll find them at the checkout counters of various grocery chains. It accepts devices from any era or condition and offers anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars in return. EcoATM works with R2 certified e-waste recycling facilities to ensure they are recycled or give the phones a second life.

Some users report technical problems with EcoATM machines or receive less money than expected. When recycling, be aware that the trade-in ecosystem can be volatile. The services provide an estimate upfront but may charge differently when they inspect a specific unit.

What to do with old cell phones?

Consider upgrading the hardware or software of your old cell phone as much as possible before trading it in for a new model, as long as everything works as it should. Do not throw it out at the curb if you want to dispose of it. Electronics and their batteries are illegal to throw in the trash in some states because of the toxic substances inside them. Batteries, in particular, can be dangerous to dispose of.

How to prepare a mobile phone for recycling?

Be sure to disable your phone service and delete any data you want to keep. You may want to wipe a phone using the factory reset option before recovery to remove your personal data. If you send your device to a program where it will be physically recycled, all personal information on that phone will be destroyed. If a phone is refurbished, personal data will be removed.