Do you have a drawer full of old electronic gadgets? Have you been waiting to recycle your old cell phone or MP3 player? ecoATM may be the answer for you. It is a kiosk found at your local shopping center where you can plop in your old gadget and get cash on the spot for it. According to an article posted by Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable, “ecoATM, a San Diego-based startup, has roughly 15 kiosks scattered throughout the southern California region, some at Westfield shopping malls in San Diego. These kiosks offer consumers a cash incentive to recycle their electronics.”
After 12 months trials at locations in San Diego, ecoATM is poised to spread countrywide. ecoATM was awarded a Phase 1 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to further refine and expand its research and development in advanced machine vision, artificial intelligence, and testing systems for used electronics. ecoATM is using the grant to expand into more areas. Google is expecting to see an ecoATM onsite in Mountain View soon, and Microsoft’s Redmond campus already has one.
The ecoATM must constantly learn and identify thousands of different gadgets. It has to precisely assess any cosmetic or internal damage to the device in order to evaluate what it will pay out to the user. This requires constant updating and programming. The funds from the NSF will help this endeavor.
"The NSF Phase 1 grant will help us further refine the precision of our system and to broaden the spectrum of devices the system can handle," said Mark Bowles, ecoATM co-founder and principal investigator on the NSF project. "This is a win-win-win for us, the consumer and the environment." According to Bowles, the average household has 5-6 old cell phones dumped into a drawer somewhere. Bowles says this translates into an estimated 12.2 billion dollars in recyclable materials
In the first year of testing, ecoATM has recycled over 50,000 electronic gadgets. According to Ms. Van Grove’s article, “ecoATM claims to offer highly competitive return rates, but its biggest value proposition may be the immediate gratification. From a consumer perspective, there’s very little reason not to use ecoATM over trying to hawk an old gadget online. The startup promises to wipe your device and spits out cash or store credit, no human contact required.” So, stop trying to unload your old gear on eBay or Craig’s List. Not only do you get to avoid the shipping costs of selling your gadget, but you get your money instantly. Does it get much better?
The kiosks operate much like coin-exchange machines. As with the coin-exchange kiosks, the user can get paid in a variety of ways, including gift cards. You can also make donations to charitable organizations like Boys & Girls Club or America. Soon we will see these recycling kiosks everywhere. I agree with Mark Bowles of ecoATM, people want to do the right thing and recycle. This just gives them a cash incentive that also satisfies their need for instant gratification.
Curious how this works? View the video below for a demonstration:
What does ecoATM do with the recycled gadgets? In the case of cell phones, many of the phones go to resellers, which eliminates a great deal of e-waste for our planet. A lot of the countries in the world are not so hung up on having the latest and greatest cell phone, and there is a huge market for our old cell phones overseas. See my blog Give Your Gadgets a Green Burial. Those that don’t get resold can be safely recycled without you having to find location to do so. It’s a win-win situation.
Be on the lookout for the ecoATM kiosks. I think this is an exciting new way to recycle, don’t you? Let us know what you think. Will you utilize an ecoATM when they become more available?
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