Celling Points

Blake Lively may be the “it” girl, but you are definitely the I-T girl.

You’re so plugged in that you have every gadget before the real buzz begins. But staying current means you have another problem that’s really starting to push your buttons; an ever-growing stash of obsolete electronics, chargers, and batteries.

Hold the phone-or actually don’t. We found three ways for you to get rid of your old mobiles, cameras, and anything else you want to power off permanently.

1 – Sell It
For Cash: There is a wealth of websites dying to buy your phone, camera, GPS system, MP3 player, game system and more. Just type in the make and model, send the items in with the site’s prepaid postage, and wait for payday. But don’t put that Marc Jacobs bag on hold just yet – We priced out our year-old Samsung phone, Sony digital camera, iPod nano, and Xbox 360 and were offered just about $52 for the whole lot.
Sites to Check Out: Gazelle.com and Buymytronics.com both received high rating from the Better Business Bureau. Ecosquid.com will compare the offers from multiple sites as well as list donation and recycling options.

For Credit: Apple, Best Buy, Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, and Toshiba are among the companies with programs where you send your device to a e-cycling spot and get paid in form of a store gift card or check. All cell phone companies also offer some sort of trade-in program.

2 – Donate It
Computers and cell phones can get new life with non-profit organizations. Hawaiian Hope creates computer labs in homeless shelters. Hawaii Computers for Kids repairs computers to give to schools.  The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other domestic violence groups benefit from cells donated to Verizon stores,  and several places are accepting phones for soldiers overseas to use to call home. You can see the full list of donation sites on ReCellular.com. And don’t forget to write off the donation on your taxes.

3 – Recycle It
TVs, really old computers, printers, and laptops usually don’t bring in a lot of money online and are often not accepted even as a donation. But Hawaii does require manufacturers of tv and other electronic devices to run free recycling programs. Click here for drop-off points on Oahu or check the full list of mail-in options for neighbor islands.