There’s also lead in some older computer batteries and in computers’ soldered connections. For example, older CRT monitors are sometimes made with leaded glass. The downside to cracking open your computer or iPod is that you risk handling its toxic parts. Murphy-Rodriguez explains how: “I pop the keys off the keyboard, clean them up, drill some holes if necessary, glue or add the findings, and ta-da! The most time-consuming part is waiting for the glue to dry.” If you’re feeling ambitious, try making your own keyboard accessories. She now stockpiles raw materials via eBay and yard sales. Another etsy crafter, Alicia Murphy-Rodriguez, began making her jewelry after a spilled drink ruined her first keyboard. Her first bauble was a ring crafted from an escape key, meant to remind the user to take a break from working.
#Apple recycle mac
For example, craftspeople on sites such as and eBay have begun disassembling Apple’s old keyboards and repurposing the keys as earrings, hair clips, and cufflinks.įeeling creative? Pillage your Mac stuff for raw crafts materials, as Lauren Anabela Beaudoin does for her Mac keyboard jewelry.Metalsmith Lauren Anabela Beaudoin makes jewelry with her old Mac parts.
While the rise of flat-screen iMacs has, regrettably, lessened the potential for a next-generation Macquarium, smaller devices and peripherals still provide an opportunity for creative expression. Alternatively, you could ransack your old hardware and peripherals for parts and pieces you can use in myriad ways. You could repurpose your 2002 iMac as a digital jukebox or use your fist-generation iPod as an external hard drive. The services VenJuvo and take laptop computers, while My BoneYard also takes desktop computer systems.
NextWorth, BuyMyTronics, and Consumer Electronics Recycling will take older iPhones and iPods. You usually pay the postage for these transactions. Assuming the site shares your assessment of your old gadget’s condition, you’ll get a check. The site will give you a quote and let you print out a mailing label to ship off your gadget. You fill out a form detailing what you have, what condition it’s in, and whether you still have the original manuals, software, or power adapters (as applicable). The way most of these sites work is pretty straightforward.
#Apple recycle manuals
The auction site eBay has a great guide to selling used electronics.You won’t make a handsome profit-a first generation iPod mini with the original manuals nets you all of $9 on -but you’ll have less clutter and a little more cash for your trouble.