Don't Throw Away
Game consoles are made of recyclable parts, including the circuit board and plastic casing. Game consoles can leach harmful metals into the environment, so never throw them away.
Alternative Ways to Recycle
Best Buy's Buy Back Program
Best Buy will take back video game consoles and many other home electronics for free through their recycling program. They also run a trade-in program for video games and consoles.
Nintendo Product Recycling
Nintendo offers a free take back program for their hardware, software, accessories and chargers. They also accept video game consoles from customers who have purchased a Nintendo console.
Microsoft Trade-In and Recycling Program
Trade in old devices, game consoles or games for Microsoft store credit or cash.
Electronics Recovery and Recycling Program
California passed the Electronics Recycling Act of 2003 to regulate how electronics are handled at the end of their life. Find out which organizations will take back unwanted or damaged electronics.
Ways to Reduce
Clean Your Console
Keep your game consoles in good shape by cleaning them to prevent debris from clogging the vents or scratching games. Check out this helpful article on how to clean a video game system.
Ways to Reuse
Sell on eBay
Even if your video game console is broken, consider selling it online. There are people who want to buy broken video game consoles in order to recover working parts, which they use to fix other consoles.
Donate to Thrift Shops
You can drop off any unwanted video consoles at a thrift shop so they don’t end up in a landfill.
