How to Recycle Your Old Smartwatch

Where To Recycle Your Watch (or Smartwatch)

Understanding the nuances of recycling and how, or if, you can recycle your watch are questions that a lot of people ask. With this in mind, we are going to dive into recycling within the watch industry and give you a better understanding of how you can recycle your timepiece, where, and if you even can for certain models.There are several ways to recycle, reuse and repurpose old watches. Smartwatch manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, also have recycling programs. Other recycling options include gifting old watches to charity, giving them to watchmakers to repurpose working parts of even artists that make creative artwork out of old watches.If youre looking to replace your old watch with a new one, you may want to check out this program by Solios to recycle your watch and replace it with a new solar watch. The brand will arrange to ship, recycle the watch for you and also give you a discount on a new solar watch. All of the brands collection is solar-powered and their watches are also made with recycled stainless steel so its a great way to recycle an old watch and replace it with a more eco-friendly alternative.

What Defines Recycling a Watch?

The actual definition of recycling is converting something into reusable material or re-using it to extend its life cycle.This means that you do not have to give your watch away for nothing, and you have a few options if you do not want it to be scrapped or left unworn in your bedside dresser.Lets look at three of the options that would come under the definition of recycling:Recycle via Scrap the most common form of recycling and the one we are all most familiar with, this is giving the timepiece to a relevant organization or charity that can sell or scrap it.Recycle via Sale you can look at selling your watch on various online platforms from eBay, to local marketplaces like Craigslist, or on more contemporary clothing sales apps. This way you can recycle your watch and get some money back for your old timepiece.Recycle via Shop finding a shop to recycle your watch can be tricky, but if you go into a pawn shop or a cash converter, you are likely to be able to recycle (sell) your watch with them. As long as it is in good condition and still holds some value.

Watch Recycling FAQs

In this section, we will look at some of the common questions people ask around watch recycling. This is not an exhaustive list but hopefully will cover the most Frequently Asked Questions around watch recycling.

Can You Recycle a Watch?

Yes, to summarize you have three key options for your watch Donate, Recycle or Reuse.Donate give your watch to charity so it can be sold or used to help the organization. Not only is this good for the environment, but you will be doing some good with your old watch.Recycle find a retailer, local recycling center, or company that will take your old watch or smartwatch. As we have looked at, you can even give it to the manufacturer. There are even artists that will upcycle old watches into new jewelry or accessories.Reuse before you get rid of your watch or smartwatch, reach out to friends or family, you may be able to find a new owner for it and save yourself the hassle.

Can You Recycle a Smartwatch?

Similar to the above, you can also recycle a Smartwatch, using any of the above methods.The only stipulation would be that with some methods you will need to ensure you have the Smartwatch in a certain condition:Undamaged the watch needs to be in good shape as a rule of thumbCharging Cable you will need to include the cable if you are looking at recycling your smartwatch unless you are giving it back to the company that will probably not need it.Box and Instructions providing additional information such as the instructions and box will help the recycling of your smartwatch, whether it be via donation, sale, or reuse.

Do Watch Companies Help You Recycle?

Yes, and in fact, some are even trying to produce a much more sustainable watch supply chain and are creating watches that are made from 100% recycled products.Each company will have its own policy and methods, but there has been a huge shift towards accountability and providing solutions to recycle and reduce their impact and there are a growing number of sustainable watch brands on the market.

Do Smartwatch Companies Help You Recycle?

The short answer is yes, there are a lot of schemes set up by companies in recent years to combat their carbon footprint and increase their green agendas.Lets look at a couple of popular examples from two of the biggest technology companies out there Samsung and Apple.Samsung this tech giant has a whole section of their website and company dedicated to Sustainability and recycling Samsung Smartwatches & products. They operate with a closed-loop recycling system, meaning old products will be used to make new ones.Apple there are detailed guides on how to recycle your Apple Watch but they are happy to help you trade in your older Apple models for credit towards a newer purchase. Similar to Samsung they tend to refurbish or recycle the products on a closed-loop.

Where Can You Recycle a Watch?

One of the most common places that accept watches is charities. You will have to find a specific charity that deals with them, but they will be recycled or re-sold to help raise money for the charity.Each charity will have its own list of things they can accept and things they can not. There are even some groups online that you can request a special charity bag to mail off, these vary from country to country, so check your local options.

Can You Recycle a Watch Through Household Recycling Collections?

Although each country has different recycling rules and exceptions, commonly, watches CANNOT be recycled through your household recycling collection.On a similar note, household waste recycling centers and similar locations do not typically accept watches or jewelry as part of their remit.You will need to give your watch or jewelry to a specialist or a charity.

Are Watchmakers Becoming More Sustainable?

Yes, one of the driving factors in businesses across the world in recent years has been sustainability and reducing the impact on the environment.This is one of the core principles of the Responsible Jewellery Council, which has a lot of luxury watchmakers signed up, from Cartier to Omega, to LVMH.

5 Reasons to Recycle Your Watch

There are a ton of reasons to recycle your watch, and each person will have their own reason or definition of what recycling entails.With this in mind, we are going to look at a few examples and put the recycling watch concept into context.

1. Help a Charity giving your old timepiece to a charity is a simple but effective way to help donate and improve others lives. Ensure you give it to one who can handle specialist items like watches or jewelry.
2. Make Some Money you can recycle your watch by selling it to someone else and if you have a higher-end watch you will be able to get a good amount of money for selling it.
3. Upgrade and Trade some watch stores will give you store credit or cash if you trade in your watch, which you can put towards a newer model or something different in the shop.
4. Make a Friends Day sometimes it is a good idea to look closer to home, and see if any of your family or friends are in the market for a watch. This way you can recycle your watch to someone you know and reduce wastage.
5. Reduce Fast Fashion we are all aware of the growing importance of being more environmentally conscious and promoting green actions. One of the simple reasons to recycle is to reduce your fashion footprint and be greener.

Watch Recycling Summary

Hopefully, now you have a good grasp of watch recycling and can conduct any further localized research you need to do to find the right solution for your timepiece.One of the best things about the watch industry is the sheer variety of models and options available. But it can also be a downside if we are not environmentally conscious and aware of our recycling options.Ensuring you do your part to keep the industry moving forward and recycling your watches is a great way to help not only yourself but everyone else interested in watches.

Sell, trade in, recycle, or donate your old smartwatch for the new Apple Watch 6

The just-announced added features for the new Apple Watch Series 6 during an Apple virtual event on Tuesday may have convinced you to become a first adopter on the 18th.

If so, its time to think about whether you should sell, recycle, trade in, or donate your current Apple Watch. TechRepublic reviewed such options for those poised for the new iPhone.

When the new iOS is released today (Sept. 16), provided you have a Series 4 or newer with a cellular plan, youll be able to avail of some of those features, including the new Family Setup, perhaps the most significant addition to the latest Apple Watch.

Family Setup: discreet and worry-reliving monitoring services

The Apple Watch 6 comes equipped with Family Setupand the other new featuresand allows family members who dont have an iPhone, like older users or young children to use the Emergency SOS, Maps, Siri, FaceTime, Alarms, and the App Store.

Each family member with only an Apple Watch 6 will have a separate phone number. Parents and adult children can monitor control by specifying the contacts your kids or older parents can contact while using iMessage and FaceTime. The controls provide those monitoring with the ability to set up notifications to track family members (ideal for wandering kids and seniors), as well as restrictions on app downloads.

As e-learning has become the norm, its quite timely that parents can impose the Do Not Disturb or Schooltime mode, in which during that time periodkids can stay focused on school. The Apple Watch-only members will be able to turn it on from the watchs control center.

SEE: Mobile device security policy (TechRepublic Premium)

Sell, trade, recycle, and donate

So if the health-monitoring, new styles and sizes, as well as Family Set up are enough enticement to overhaul the families Apple devices, youre probably going to consider what youll do with your current Apple Watch.

Offset the price of a new device

Depending on current stock and expected demand, prices for the trade-in value will vary. In general, wearables havent reached the popularity of smartphones. There arent as many options to sell/trade-in/recycle/donate smartwatches as there are for smartphones, but where theres a will, theres a way.

Amazon Trade-In Currently does not have a smartwatch trade-in category.

Best Buy Trade-In The device retailer will buy your Apple Watch, but you dont get cash, you get a Best Buy gift card, which you can then use toward the Apple Watch 6. Yet another option is to visit your carrier at Best Buy (but youd get the same offer in store or online).

The following is for a watch in good condition, which Best Buy describes as light wear and tear. Minor scratches/scuffs on body. Functions properly and runs off battery. No cracked LCD screen. The other two or three conditions are poor and recycle.

A sample of Best Buy Trade-In:

• Series 1 42mm Space Gray Watch or a 38mm Rose Gold in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $40
• Series 1 Apple Watch Sport 38mm Space Gray Aluminum Case Space Gray Sports Band in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $30
• Series 2 Apple Watch 38mm Rose Gold Aluminum Case Light Pink/Midnight Blue Woven Nylon Band Rose Gold Aluminum in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $60
• Series 2 Apple Watch 42mm Space Black Stainless Steel Case in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $75
• Series 3 Nike (GPS + Cellular) 38mm Space Gray Aluminum Case with Anthracite/Black Nike Sport Band Space Gray Aluminum, in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $85
• Series 3 Apple Watch Nike+ (GPS) 42mm Space Gray Aluminum Case with Anthracite/Black Nike Sport Band Space Gray Aluminum in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $90
• Series 4 Apple Watch Nike+ (GPS + Cellular) 40mm Silver Aluminum Case with Pure Platinum/Black Nike Sport Band Silver Aluminum, in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $110
• Series 5 Apple Watch Nike (GPS + Cellular) 40mm Silver Aluminum Case with Pure Platinum/Black Nike Sport Band Silver Aluminum, in good condition, estimated trade-in value is $150
• Series 5 Apple Watch Nike (GPS + Cellular) 44mm Space Gray Aluminum Case with Anthracite/Black Nike Sport Band Space Gray Aluminum

EcoATM kiosks currently do not have a smartwatch trade-in category.

Gazelle is another buy-and-sell used tech site, but it, too, doesnt have an Apple Watch category.

Swappa, which has a smartwatch category, describes itself as buy and sell newish tech and a friendly marketplace. The heavily stocked online consignment services seller prices shown here, start as valued from good.

• Series 1 Apple Watch 38mm ranges from $88 to $130, 42mm ranges from $95 to $130
• Series 2 Apple Watch 38mm ranges from $113 to $139, 42mm ranges from $90 to $159
• Series 3 Apple Watch 38mm ranges from $164 to $235, the 42mm from $160 to $670
• Series 4 Apple Watch 44mm in good condition, starts at $275 to mint condition for $720
• Series 5 Apple Watch 44mm in good condition, starts at $305 to the Hermes version in mint condition, for $1,170; a 40mm starts at $289

Trademore is another company that will pay you immediately, if youre anxious to sell your Apple Watch. You get an estimated price, a prepaid packaging to ship your Apple Watch to its warehouse and it will assess the watch and determine if youd described it well and pay the estimated amount, but if not, youll be offered less. Trademore gives you the option to choose an acceptable range even before you ship your Apple Watch to them, or you can indicate you only want the original offer and your phone will be returned to you. You get paid through either a virtual Mastercard gift card or through PayPal. They offer:

• Series 2 Apple Watch, up to $30
• Series 3 Apple Watch, up to $67; Hermes version, up to $58; Nike version, up to $94 (up to $56 without cellular)
• Series 4 Apple Watch, up to $138; Nike version, up to $149 (for an Hermes version in perfect condition the offer is $28)
• Series 5 Apple Watch, up to $212 for GPS only (includes Nike versions), up to $213 with cellular

If you can really use the money, whether in general, or to fund a new Apple Watch Series 6, there may not be as many avenues to formally sell your old smartwatch, but consider selling it locally, through Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.

Why you should definitely donate it

Whatever you decide to do, please dont throw it away.

Smartwatches are built from earth minerals used for the display screen and batteries. Extracting these mineralsusually through surface miningcan cause pollution, as well as deplete valuable resources.

Other environmental concerns in the manufacturing of smartwatches include its impact on landscape and environment. Machines used by workers (including their commute) pollute. Once the materials are taken, chemical processes filter and separate minerals, and the water used in this process can contaminate if regulations are not adhered to by the mining companies. Contaminants, in general, are not something to release on the ecosystem.

Smartwatch users charge them daily, and due to manufacturers proprietary policies, when a cracked screen happens or when it stops working, most people find repair too prohibitively priced, so they end up buying the latest version. Proprietary brands often hold the exclusivity to repair the devices theyve manufactured, under the argument that they need to protect their intellectual property, they often charge high prices making it way more appealing and financially wise to buy the latest versions available. If you dont need the trade-in funds to get the Apple Watch 6, there are several ways to donate and be charitable.

If you just want to give it away, first review the charities you support and see if they have a thrift shop you can donate it to, or an auction site (Goodwill has one, for example). Many cities have a Buy Nothing [Name of city/area] Facebook group which would be a good way to literally give back to the community.

Some retailers such as Lowes, Kroger, Safeway, Batteries Plus, Walmart, and others may have recycle drop-off stations for smart devices to be recycled into new electronics instead of ending up in a landfill.

Local municipalities may also offer electronics recycling, but call or email local government officials for details.