I can't just throw this stuff away...

[dreamshark]

In the process of looking for a camera accessory that might actually prove useful I found myself going through box after box of accessories and supplies for items I don't own any more. Okay, I probably don't need the owners manual for that phone I lost two years ago. But I have two perfectly good extra batteries for that phone, unused and in their original packaging! Similarly, I have unopened printer cartridges for printers I no longer own.

I also have 3 or 4 old cell phones that probably still work along with their collections of batteries, cables, earphones, chargers, etc. The 2 old Motorola Razrs have actually proven their continuing usefulness, both having been pressed into service as emergency replacement phones. But what about this old Motorola filp phone that I think I got in 1997?  Could it possible be good for anything?

Any ideas what to do with this stuff?  I'd be happy to give it away if there were any chance someone could use it. If I can't give it away, does it all have to be recycled as toxic electronic waste?

Comments

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Women's shelters and other such advocacy groups always want old cell phones. Even without a plan, the phones still dial 911 and are great for someone who might need a secret emergency phone.

http://www.bwlap.org/cellphone

The other stuff might get picked up by Freecycle, which is an email list where a person describes their unwanted crap and then magic pixies show up and take it away.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I looked at the BWLAP website, and it's another one that doesn't actually reuse the phones - just recycles them and donates a pittance to the shelter. I guess that's okay, but it seems like a shame when you have a working phone with all the accessories. I wonder if there are any organizations left that actually use the old phones. That old Motorola is charging up right now, and I'll bet it actually would work to call 911.

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Sorry about that. I googled but did not read thoroughly. It now seems that my information is outdated.

Further googling does seem to suggest that organizations benefit most by refurbishing and reselling the phones, possibly because many people already have cell phones, possibly because it's more financially practical to resell higher end phones and buy inexpensive pre-paid phones.

Here's another organization that does the same thing, but seems like they've got the most efficient model.

http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone.php

[mle292.livejournal.com]

I have very strong feelings about hoarding that have absolutely nothing to do with any of my friends. I fight hoarding tendencies in myself, and I also tend to want to tell other people how they should get rid of stuff. Go ahead and ignore/delete this if it's not relevant.

It is my opinion that if you've got any mechanism at all to get rid of stuff that you're not using, you should go with that method. There is no perfect way to get rid of everything and it's not worth the mental strain to wait for the perfect method to show up. Someone else will do something with it that is not "throw it away." Let that be enough.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Understood. Those are all perfectly good suggestions. I'm slightly annoyed by the way Cell Phones for Soldiers presents itself (you're NOT donating your cell phone to a soldier), but it's one way to recycle the phone that really isn't worth keeping.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how Freecycle works. I have a nice little point-and-shoot camera with a battery door that doesn't latch. Works fine with a piece of tape or a rubber band securing the battery door. I'm hoping someone might want that.

I'm also wondering if I could get rid of a whole box of random phone and camera cables that didn't seem to match any of the phones or cameras. Do people list stuff that junky on Freecycle? At a quick glance I didn't see anything like that, and I'm not sure why anyone would want them. But you never know what people will want.

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Do people list stuff that junky on Freecycle?

Dear god, yes. Miscellaneous electronic cables are pure gold compared to some stuff listed there. The most memorable listing was for unmatched single socks, and that one was marked "Taken" within a day.

A post for "box of charger cables and other misc. electronics - MUST TAKE ALL" shows up about once a month and is typically marked "Taken" within the week.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, that's EXACTLY what I need to post. "box of charger cables and other misc. electronics - MUST TAKE ALL" Excellent. The MUST TAKE ALL is clearly the key phrase here.

Come to think of it, I think I have a box of unmatched single socks, too.

[carbonel]

Yes, this. I missed doing the MUST TAKE ALL on a box of assorted stuff once, and it got cherry-picked. Never again.

[carbonel]

Freecycle is great. I've gotten rid of a bunch of stuff that the hoardy part of my brain wouldn't just let me toss. And I acquired stuff that wouldn't have cost a lot, but would have been a pain to find cheap ones of -- a large suitcase for a one-way trip, a chest of drawers, and a stereo tuner. Those were all requests. I also acquired my U-shaped desk unit because someone offered it.

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Donate to a thrift shop. I recommend Steeple People, at Franklin and Lyndale.

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

I have in my possession a plastic envelope blazoned with CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS.

Instructions on said envelope say 1) Deactivate phone(s) and turn off power. 2) Keep battery attached to phone. 3) Place phone(s) in envelope, seal and drop in mailbox.

Would you like it?

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Hmm, not sure. The cell phone I really want to get rid of is an old Motorola flip phone that is 10-15 years old. I did find the charger, and I'm checking to see if it charges up. But I wonder if there is a point beyond which the cell phones don't even work on modern networks.

ETA. I guess it doesn't really matter how old the phone is for this one. From their website it sounds like they just recycle the phones for cash and then donate some unspecified amount per phone to an organization that buys calling cards for soldiers so they can stay in touch with their families. I suspect that the amount that goes to the charity is infinitesimal, but at least it's a way to get rid of the phone.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I see that the two brand-new cell phone batteries for the lost phone are still current enough to be for sale online. It looks like I can probably sell them for $5-$10 each on Ebay, if I want to go to the trouble.

If anybody who needs the money more than I do would like to take the batteries and sell them, let me know. There seems to be a pretty brisk market in this particular battery, so it probably wouldn't be too hard to get a sale, and they're small enough to ship in a first-class envelope.