Question 1

Shipping Tips, Tricks and Instructions-How to get collected E-waste items to Green Squared?

Accepted Answer

Once you have as many electronic devices that you want to recycle or sell collected as you can, you can print a FedEx or UPS label directly from our site here, Shipping Label (there’s a short video tutorial to help you along) but it’s seriously as easy as checking out online.

Just enter your name, address, best phone number, email address, the name of your business/organization or "Household" if you're an individual, and the number of boxes you have.

FedEx will weigh all boxes for you so no need to enter a weight.

For UPS, just enter your best guestimate in the weight area and select Print, Email from the dropdown menu. 
Example, if you think the box weighs 15 lbs just enter 15 in the box.
If you have more than one box, click "Add" and then enter the weight for the second package.

Please keep all boxes under 30-40lbs and tape the corners and edges up really well as they can get squished when they get stacked on top of each other.

Last, write the tracking number anywhere on the outside of the box for backup in case the label gets damaged during shipping.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9b3ca9_a9458581c7684d13ae4b0aeed8f8b998~mv2.png

We'll let you know when your package arrives safely.

If you get caught up, Feel free to call me and I’m happy to walk you through it.

We will process them in 1-4 weeks depending on the amount of items received and get you the most money for your cell phones (or other devices).

Question 2

What kind of E-waste does Green Squared recycle or buy?

Accepted Answer

We accept most electronic devices that have a battery, or get charged, up to the size of a laptop; like phones, tablets, laptops, chargers, battery packs, headphones, USB's, cameras, bluetooth speakers, hearing aids, watches, cords/chargers, key fobs and any other personal electronic device. 
If in doubt, just put it in and we’ll recycle it!

As an added bonus, we'll send you a $20 Amazon gift card upon your request for eligible donations of 20 or more 4G+ capable phones. Just let us know in your notes or email when requesting a label.

Unfortunately, 2G & 3G phones do not qualify. Eligibility is determined upon receipt & verification.
 
Make sure to ask your friends, family & neighbors if they have any old 4G+ smartphones lying around collecting dust that you can add to your box.

• We Recycle a wide range of devices, including:
    • Cell phones
    • Laptops
    • Tablets
    • Headphones
    • Cameras
    • Bluetooth speakers
    • Bluetooth headphones
    • GPS devices 
    • Laptop batteries
    • Chargers, battery packs, cables/cords
    • Microphones 
    • Headsets
    • Small speakers
    • Watches 
    • Walkie talkies
    • Electronic toys
    • Mp3 players
    • eReaders 
    • USB drives
    • Glasses (prescription and Sunglasses)
    • Personal Handheld medical equipment like hearing aids, EKG monitors, nebulizers, communication devices, and any other small business or personal electronic device.

Basically, we can recycle most products smaller than a laptop that has electronic components. If you've got electronic devices that you need to dispose of and you’re unsure whether we can accept, just email us or give us a call.

In the course of the last century, the number of electronic devices in our lives has increased substantially. A hundred years ago, fewer than half of homes had electricity, and the first television wasn’t even invented until 1927. Today, we produce nearly seven million tons of e-waste in the U.S. alone.

It’s not unusual to upgrade devices like computers, laptops, printers, tablets, and cell phones every few years, or even more frequently. As new devices hit the market and offer improvements, it’s natural that companies will want to stay on the cutting edge of technology in order to remain competitive.

Many companies don’t upgrade just a handful of devices at a time, either. They turn over entire inventories of devices at once to streamline the integration process and benefit from bulk pricing deals. This might leave you with a massive supply of unusable technology.

You may not be able to sell it and you don’t want to store it indefinitely. This is where Green Squared can help, with eco-friendly e-waste collection options designed to save you time and money. When you’re seeking e-waste drop-off near me, you’ll find that our collection and drop-off services offer incredible convenience, and all you have to do is create a shipping label to get started.

Question 3

Should I do (or ask others to do) anything before sending cell phones, tablets or laptops?

Accepted Answer

Please ask anyone donating to sign out of any personal accounts possible, particularly Apple ID and iCloud.

Once a phone has been Apple, Google or otherwise locked it is permanent unless removed by the original user. We donate many phones to 911 programs and they are unable to use them to access the apps that support them through the program like V.I.N.E., resources like food pantry's, utilities, housing & legal services if they are locked.

Apple:
It's super easy to sign out of your iPhone, iPad, watch, etc. Just go to settings, click on your name, scroll all the way down and select "sign out"

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208242

Google:
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3067630?hl=en#:~:text=secure%20your%20account.-,Go%20to%20your%20Google%20Account.,panel%2C%20select%20Manage%20all%20devices.&text=Sign%20out.

Question 4

Can I send broken or devices with missing parts?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we accept items that are broken and not working for recycling. Green Squared has a Zero Landfill pledge to keep our world healthy and safe. You get paid the most for items that are in good working condition, signed out of any accounts like Apple ID or iCloud.

Question 5

What will I get paid for?

Accepted Answer

If phones, tablets or laptops power up, are signed out of, and are able to make a test call or function as expected, they will qualify for payment.

Phones that are in good condition and free from glaring defects such as water damage, cracked screens, missing or non-functional buttons, etc will generate a higher payment for those looking to sell them.

Phones with defects may be accepted for payment or recycling depending on condition. Please send all the batteries and any other accessories (like chargers, headsets, bluetooth accessories, etc.) you collect to us to be properly recycled.

People also often have additional batteries and these should be included with the phones as well.

Cell phone recycling for cash provides a higher return on investment  — and it’s the right thing to do!

As an added bonus, we'll send you a $20 Amazon gift card upon your request for eligible donations of 20 or more 4G+ capable phones! Just let us know in your notes or email when requesting a label.

Unfortunately, 2G & 3G phones do not qualify. Eligibility is determined upon receipt & verification.
 
Make sure to ask your friends, family & neighbors if they have any old 4G+ smartphones lying around collecting dust that you can add to your box.

Question 6

What is a Zero Landfill Pledge?

Accepted Answer

At Green Squared, we have taken a Zero Landfill Pledge as part of our efforts to help the environment. This means we reuse  absolutely everything that we can and ensure that none of it ends up sitting in a landfill — including shipping and packaging materials.

To accomplish this, we adhere to strict EPA and state guidelines regarding best practices to avoid adding any more junk to landfills.

Proper mobile phone disposal brings a net positive impact to the environment and communities alike.

Consumers throw out hundreds of thousands of old phones every year.

At Green Squared recycling, we encourage users who are tired of their old phones to do more than throw them out — if they do, the phones will simply fill landfills with hazardous e-waste. Perfectly good devices still have a home among businesses, public organizations, and the people who need them most.
 
By helping you recycle or sell your devices for cash, we reward you for doing the right thing. Keep your devices out of the Earth and put them in the hands of people who can use them.

Our responsible recycling practices have already kept over 450,000 pounds of materials out of landfills. But we have no intention of stopping. As long as e-waste is being produced, we will be disposing of it in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

https://www.step-initiative.org/index.html(https://www.step-initiative.org/index.html)

Circular economy adoption and e-waste recycling initiatives are a key component of sustainability. Consumers throw away over 400,000 mobile devices and 142,000 tablets and laptops a day! Sadly, only 15% of them are recycled. The good news is that over 95% of them can be reused or resold. All the working parts in broken or locked devices can be garnered to fix and repair other phones, keeping them out of landfills too, not to mention the precious metals and other materials that can be collected. All together, that means that nearly 100% of cell phones can be reused or recycled. Every smartphone contains precious metals including gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium. Over 20,000 lbs of copper, 20 lbs of palladium, 550 lbs of silver, and 50 lbs of gold is saved each time one million cell phones are recycled saving more than $55 Billion in materials.

Think that's a lot? Consider this, in the United States, there is over 9.4 million tons of electronic waste a year as a result of the almost two Billion cell phones sold each year, and 95% of the old phones they're replacing still have useful life. That's one billion nine hundred million discarded cell phones a year!

In 2021 the global e-waste stood at 49.29 million tons; It is estimated to reach 63.22 Million tons by 2029. Recycling a cell phone helps the planet by extending its useful life from only 1-2 years, to over nine years. The more phones we recycle, the more natural resources and energy are conserved, and the more environmental impact of mining and pollution is reduced.

At Green Squared recycling, we encourage users who are tired of their old phones to do more than throw them out — if they do, the phones will simply fill landfills with hazardous e-waste. Perfectly good devices still have a home among businesses, public organizations, and the people who need them most.

Our responsible recycling practices have already kept over 450,000 pounds of materials out of landfills. But we have no intention of stopping. As long as e-waste is being produced, we will be disposing of it in the most environmentally friendly way possible because Proper mobile phone disposal brings a net positive impact to the environment and communities alike. 
 
By helping you recycle or sell discarded or unused devices, we reward you for doing the right thing. Keep your devices out of the Earth and put them in the hands of people who can use them.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/repair-not-recycle-tackle-ewaste-circular-economy-smartphones/

https://www.step-initiative.org/index.html(https://www.step-initiative.org/index.html)
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20161017-your-old-phone-is-full-of-precious-metals
https://www.yahoo.com/now/e-waste-management-market-estimated-055200982.html
https://earth911.com/eco-tech/20-e-waste-facts/
https://www.liveabout.com/e-waste-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878189
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/magazine/e-waste-offers-an-economic-opportunity-as-well-as-toxicity.html

Question 7

What is your Data Destruction Guarantee?

Accepted Answer

Green Squared offers Data Destruction Guarantee giving you peace of mind that your privacy is protected. We do this by removing all NPI -Non-public information and PII -personal identifiable information from each device we receive through a meticulous inspection process at no cost to you. All user information including names and phone numbers, pictures, text messages, e-mails, and downloaded files are permanently erased and devices are set to factory default and SIM cards are removed, wiped and recycled.

All devices donated go through this Data Destruction process, removing all non-public information, bit-by-bit, 3 times which Complies with USA Department of Defense (DoD 5220) and meet or exceed NIST 800-88 standard. Once this is done, the data is permanently irretrievable. By agreeing to have phones, tablets, and laptops sent to us, we accept any and all liability and full responsibility of having any sensitive information permanently destroyed that may be stored in the electronic devices.

Please Note: merely deleting a file or breaking the phone or SIM card DOES NOT destroy the information contained therein as the underlying digital data is still preserved within the system and can be recovered!

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