EcoATM pays you for used gadgets

With the constant upgrading that has become the staple of modern technology, we tend to end up with a lot of electronic garbage – I know I have a couple of iPods sitting around and quite a couple cellphones.

Enter the EcoATM – the ATM that pays you for your old technology. It’s cellphone-only at the moment, but you just pop in your cellphone, the machine gives you a real-time valuation, and out comes some cash. Much easier than a pawn shop and about a million times better than throwing it out.

In addition to the obvious benefit of actually recieving some money for your old gadgets, the EcoATM fights e-garbage pollution by keeping old cellphones out of landfills or other garbagey places- the company re-sells them to other consumers or companies that have a need for old phones.

Not all phones are worth something however – the machine can detect things like missing keys and cracked screens, but if you’re unlucky enough not to recieve some cash for your donation, the company will at least plant a tree for you, which isn’t bad considering you’d have just thrown it out anyway.

Future machines will extend beyond just cellphones to things like iPods, cameras, and laptops – and we can’t wait!

via CNET