HP May Give You Greenbacks for Going Green

Posted 01/07/2009 at 2:57pm | by Mark Edward Soper

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Need a good reason to "go green" by recycling your old electronics? How about getting some green (money, that is) for your old desktop or laptop computers, digital cameras, monitors, PDAs, smartphones, inkjet or laser printers, table PCs, or workstations? HP has teamed up with Market Velocity, Inc. to offer the HP Consumer Buyback and Planet Partners Recycling Program. Whether you think you're sitting on a potential gold mine of old stuff or are looking for a painless way to get worthless digital junk out of your office, give it a try.

Here's how it works:

• Select the type of item you want to recycle
• Select the manufacturer; even though this is an HP-sponsored program, you can select from dozens of manufacturers or ALL OTHERS if your vendor isn't listed or if it's a "white-box" device
• Select the model number
• Select the condition; choose Excellent, Good, or Poor, and if you're not sure how to grade your stuff, check the bottom of the page for help
• Enter the quantity
• Enter your zip code
• Select whether or not you want premium shipping; shipping charges are deducted from your item's unit value and are reflected in your quote.
• Click Generate Quote to continue.

Depending upon what you're wanting to dispose of, you might see a quote, an offer to recycle the item (if it has no resale value), or if you're recycling a computer, the option to modify the listed configuration. Choose this option if you've upgraded memory, the hard disk, or if your system has a different processor than the default listed. Click Modify Configuration to make changes, and Accept Configuration when you're ready to get your quote.

The quote price assumes that you'll haul your obsolete gizmos off to the nearest FedEx location for return, but for another $10, they'll come to you.

If you're wanting to turn your obsolete gadgets into some cash, HP's program isn't the only game in town; see our coverage of Gazelle.com for another option. Whether your old computers and electronics are worth money or are just taking up space, though, don't throw them away; both services offer ways to recycle or donate them and keep them out of the landfill.