Each week renowned gadget expert Peter Rojas from gadget Q&A site GDGT.com answers your questions about green technology in our Ask A Tech Geek Series. Read on for this week’s installment and submit your questions below!
QUESTION: I’ve got boxes full of old USB cords and cell phone adapters that I don’t use anymore. What’s the best way to get rid of them?
–submitted by scifilullabies
PETER ROJAS: Anyone who buys gadgets know how cables and chargers can accumulate, and almost everyone I know has a drawer filled with random cables and chargers from products that were discontinued years ago. These days manufacturers ship almost everything with a USB cable, regardless of whether you need one or not.
So what to do about it?
Obviously you shouldn’t just dump these in the trash – e-waste can be a big source of pollution if not properly recycled. First you should try your family and friends. Usually you can find someone who can use a USB cable, if nothing else. If you can’t find any friends or family members who can use one of those extra cables or chargers, it’s worth checking out Earth 911’s site to see If there is an appropriate e-waste recycling center nearby.
In New York City (where I live), places like the Lower East Side Ecology Center and Apple story Tekserve regularly hold e-waste recycling events. In fact, there is one coming up on July 16th, at Tekserve in Chelsea.
Around the country, many BestBuy stores accept electronics, including old cables and chargers, for recycling, and you can check their website here to see if there is a store near you.
WANT TO ASK A TECH GEEK? Do you have a green technology question you’d like to ask Peter? Submit it to him by leaving a comment on this post or tweeting it to @Inhabitat and/or @peterrojas with the hashtag #AskATechGeek!
