Electronic recycling: Get green for being green

Updating your child's computer or smartphone before they head off to school? Consider where their older model will end up. "Technology is the fastest-growing waste stream on the planet," says Scott Weislow, director of recycling for Best Buy. Earn some green — cash or store credit — by recycling electronics, which keeps the planet greener, too.

Return, don't retire it.

"Things depreciate pretty quickly," says Sean Michaels, president of MaxBack, a program that gives cash for recycling smartphones and tablets. Selling a smartphone to MaxBack can yield $50 to $391, he notes. Older models are more likely to be refurbished or melted down for raw materials without any payment.

Just rewards.

Best Buy will give store credit for items with trade-in value, regardless of where it was purchased, Weislow says. Verizon will make a donation to HopeLine, a domestic violence support program, for any device recycled.

Consider the costs.

Some recycling programs will take away your old electronics — for a fee. A few, like Best Buy, do it free. "We recycle 409 pounds of electronics every minute our stores are open," Weislow says.