Today I learned Amazon will recycle small electronics for free

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you have a flip phone that you haven't used in over a decade, or a broken tablet, Amazon will pay for a shipping label that you can use to recycle it. Apparently, this recycling program has been a thing for a while now, but several of us at The Verge never even knew about it until Dave Zatz, a journalist, posted a picture of it on his social media account.

You just need to provide the packaging for your electronics to be recycled by Amazon. Amazon notes that it will remove or destroyidentifying marks or personal information during the process of transferring devices to a recycling facility. If your device still works, you should perform a factory reset on it before you send it in.

According to Saige, the company's recycling program has been around for a long time and Amazon just relaunched a new page to make it easier for customers to find. It is not the same as the Amazon trade-in program, which allows you to send in Amazon devices, cellphones, video games, and other electronics and get an Amazon gift card. You don't get anything in return for sending in devices to be recycled other than the personal satisfaction that you're doing a small part in helping the environment

Image: Amazon

Only small electronics are allowed. If you click through to Amazon's recycling page, you can find a list of all accepted devices. E-readers, tablets, keyboards, mice, video game consoles, device covers, cellphones, fitness tracker, and more are included. It accepts any small device you can fit into a small box or envelope, but only if they don't have leaking batteries.

I thought that the mini speaker I bought from Dollar General would be a good purchase if I recycled it for free. Since I already have a pile of shipping boxes from my previous online purchases, I can recycle them.

If you don't want to pay for your own shipping material, you can always bring your electronics to your local Best Buy. For a fee, you can recycle up to three items per household per day. If you order a replacement through Best Buy, you will be able to get rid of your old appliances for free. You can pay Best Buy $199 to come to your house and take away up to two large items (like a TV or washer) without having to order a new one.