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At this point, it's hard to ignore the fact that we have a trash problem.
As a society, we've become accustomed to ending the lifecycle of our products when we no longer want or need them. But, plenty of brands are incentivizing us to extend the life of our products by offering to recycle them for us and giving us discounts for our next shopping trip.
Patagonia, Madewell, and Best Buy are just a few of the retailers that'll recycle your old products for you and give you discounts and store credits in return. Keep reading to see all 10 companies that reward you for getting rid of stuff you don't need anymore.
Most of us are willing to agree that recycling is important - be it the Patagonia jacket you outgrew or the plastic water bottle you bought at lunch.
And while most of us mean to donate used clothes or finally find out the proper way to recycle batteries, far fewer of us actually get around to it in the end.
It might help, then, that some companies even offer incentives like store credit, discounts, and cash back for getting rid of the things you're no longer using. Some stores, like Staples and Best Buy, can even recycle it in a better way than you can.
You can save money, or even make some, at the same time that you purge your place of clutter, and keep more trash out of landfills and help communities in need.
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Below are 10 companies that reward you for recycling stuff you no longer need:
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Patagonia has a pretty great program to reduce waste, as well as the option to mail in Patagonia items that have reached the end of their useful lifespan. You can find the address here, or simply drop them off at the nearest participating retail store to keep them out of a landfill or incinerator.
Stop by a Madewell shop year-round and drop off pre-loved pairs of jeans (your favorite older pair, your dad's retired work jeans) and Madewell and the Blue Jeans go Green program will turn them into housing insulation for communities in need — and give you $20 off new ones.
Right now, you can even do it online thanks to a postage-paid mailer included with every online Madewell purchase. Pop your jeans into the envelope and send. You'll still get $20 off Madewell jeans.
Best Buy is the largest retail recycler of used electronics and appliances and will take all kinds of used tech to reduce e-waste, regardless of where you bought it, how old it is, or who made it.
Click here to find a The North Face retail store near you in North America and click here to find an Outlet store
The North Face's Clothes The Loop program encourages people to drop off unwanted clothing and footwear at The North Face retail and outlet stores. Recycle your used apparel and footwear (any condition, any brand) and, in turn, earn a $10 reward toward your next purchase of $100 or more at The North Face.
The items dropped in collection bins are sent to a recycling center where they are then repurposed for reuse to extend their life or recycled into raw materials for use in products like insulation, carpet padding, stuffing for toys, and fibers for new clothing.
Whenever you purchase something from Cuyana and add the dedicated Lean Closet card in your bag at checkout, they will send you a reusable bag to fill up with items that are just taking up space in your closet. You mail the bag back to them (with the included shipping label) and through their non-profit partner, H.E.A.R.T., your donated clothing will be given directly to women who will be able to use it to gain work and new opportunities. As an added bonus, you'll receive a $10 credit toward your next Cuyana purchase.
Get paid for trading in unwanted devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops at Staples, as well as drop off electronics with no market value to be recycled of properly, at no cost to you.
If your item does have value, you can either bring it in for inspection in person, get a quote, and receive a Staples eCash Card in the amount of the trade, or do it all online here. You'll get a quote, a free shipping label with which to send the item in, and receive a Staples eCash Card.
Start a trade-in online at AT&T and you'll get a Promotion Card worth the trade-in value of your qualified smartphone or tablet, which you can use on products or services from AT&T.
Through the AT&T Reuse & Recycle program, you can bring unwanted wireless phones, smartphones, accessories, and batteries (regardless of the manufacturer or carrier) to AT&T company-owned retail stores for recycling. Find your closest AT&T retail store.
You can also take advantage of Cell Phones for Soldiers, an AT&T-designated charity that lets you donate a gently used phone, smartphone, or tablet to for the trade-in value of your device.
If you join Office Depot and OfficeMax's free Recycling Rewards program, you can earn $2 back for every cartridge (limit 10 cartridges per month) if you spend $10 that same month. At the end of the quarter, you'll get your rewards paid out in a reward certificate online.
Just bring your laptop, tablet, phone, or gaming console to a Microsoft Store and if it has value, they'll give you a Microsoft Store credit. If it doesn't, they'll wipe your data and safely recycle it for you. It's fast, easy, and free.
Right now, there's a special deal for students: If you trade in your old device, you'll get a credit toward a new Surface, plus an additional 10% off on top of your student discount.
Bring in one empty Kiehl's container to a store near you and receive one stamp. Once you get 10 stamps, you'll receive one travel-sized product. Read the rules here.
