Apple getting greener, adds iPad, iPhone recycling program for U.K., France, Germany

Apple has once again reached out to the greener side of our sympathies, this time by implementing its recycling program for iPads and iPhones in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

The recycling program, extended to iPads and iPhones in the United States this summer, allows customers with older-model iOS devices to send them in to Apple and receive an Apple gift card in return for the remaining value of the device.

In Germany, France, and the U.K., customers will get a direct deposit into their bank accounts for the value as opposed to a gift card, according to Apple's German Web site.

The best part of the recycling program is that Apple takes care of everything. In the U.S., all users have to do is fill out an online form describing their device and Apple will send you the proper shipping materials to send your products back to Apple's subcontractor, PowerON. PowerON will determine the fair market value for your device and issue an Apple gift card in that amount.

German Mac site Macerkopf describes the process in Germany, France, and the U.K., where local subcontractors (Dataserv in Germany) will take care of assessing the fair market value of the device in question and the monetary value is deposited directly into a bank account.

The worst-case scenario for any of this is that you are helping the environment by safely recycling your old electronics, completely free of charge. But, if your device has some monetary value, you could come away with a nice gift card (or bank account deposit) for your efforts.

"When you recycle with Apple, your used equipment is disassembled, and key components that can be reused are removed. Glass and metal can be reprocessed for use in new products. A majority of the plastics can be pelletized into a raw secondary material. With materials reprocessing and component reuse, Apple often achieves a 90 percent recovery rate by weight of the original product."

It's certainly nice to see Apple taking steps to implement green thinking in the technology world. Have you recycled a product using Apple's recycling program? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments!