According to the announcement, the partnership works because uBreakiFix and Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions stores will act as a drop-off point. You bring the old or broken electronics you don’t want to (or can’t) use anymore to them, and they send everything off to a Samsung recycling partner. From there, everything is stripped down, and the various components and materials will be repurposed for use in future products. According to uBreakiFix CEO Dave Barbuto, the hope is that this will give people with boxes and drawers of devices they don’t know how to get rid of a way to, well, get rid of them. In general, the program is designed to make it easier for everyone in North America (and the northern part of South America) to recycle their old gear. With hundreds of locations available, it will probably be easier to find one of these locations than trying to sleuth out a recycling center that takes a specific kind of hardware. uBreakiFix won’t take every conceivable thing you might want to bring into them, but the list of what’s accepted is pretty substantial. Cell phones, desktop computers and flat-panel monitors, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, etc.—if it’s electronic, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll make it go away for you. However, there are limitations like TV sets, anything that contains liquids or gases, loose batteries, e-cigarettes, etc. You can bring any accepted electronics into your local uBreakiFix or Asurion stores now, at no cost. Though it’s recommended that you remove all personal data from your devices before handing them over.
