Give your old gadgets new life
A roundup of Web sites that will fix or recycle broken tech toys in an effort to keep them out of landfills.
Think before you toss your broken cell phone in the garbage.
And your old CRT television or desktop monitor, for that matter. Three million tons of electronic waste go into landfills every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and much of what's thrown away is either in good condition or at least fixable.
Many options are available from manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard and Dell and retailers like Staples that voluntarily take back broken-down tech and recycle or refurbish it.
If that's too tough to figure out, there are third-party companies that are dying for your old tech toys. Earth2Tech, Om Malik's green tech blog, has a nice roundup of Web sites that aim to keep your gadgets up and running--or, at the very least, out of landfills.
Sites like FixYa (see the Webware review) and PDAParts.com will give you repair advice, while PartStore.com, BuyMyTronics.com, and SecondRotation, will find loving adoptive homes for retired stuff.
See also: Webware's Elsa Wenzel suggests similar sites.