EcoATM launches automated phone recycling machines

NEW YORK (Scrap Monster): EcoATM is preparing to rollout a fully automated phone recycling machine across the US during 2012.

The machine, which pays cash for a variety of portable electronic devices, was displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and is already available at a number of locations in California.

Users can receive an instant quote for their mobile phone, MP3 player, tablet or Kindle by placing their device in a metal tray, where a camera identifies it against a database of 4,000 gadgets.

The machine then presents a cable which must be plugged in to see if the device is functioning, before offering a quote based on what second hand electronic recycling companies are willing to pay for it.

Should the quote be accepted, the cash is provided immediately.

The company says that the machine can help with the global problem of e-waste, adding that the ecoATM is “a great example of technology solving a problem created by technology.”

“Almost everyone has a collection of used portable electronics stored somewhere,” commented ecoATM chairman and CEO Tom Tullie. ”At ecoATM, we believe strongly in repurposing good electronics that can be refurbished and used by consumers in other markets.”

“We find a second life for about 75 percent of the used devices we collect at the kiosks. For the other 25 percent of devices that are truly at their end of life, we work with either R2-certified or BAN-certified recyclers who reclaim the raw materials and precious metals in an environmentally responsible way,” he added.

Courtesy: Tech Week Europe