A new service out of the UK has confirmed a theory that I've had for a long time. There is a great chunk of change to be made recycling used electronic gear. Envirofone is saving the world by buying retired cellphones in order to keep them out of landfills. Essentially, the company buys old phones on a recycling sales pitch then resells them for a profit. Payouts are available as cash, Argo's gift cards, or as a donation to a charity of your choice.

This company's service is extremely useful... if you don't know how to use eBay. As an example, Envirofone is offering to pay seventy-five dollars for a Samsung D500, but the going rate on the used market is upwards of $150. I'm surprised that The Register's coverage didn't mention that Envirofone is owned by Eazyfone, a company that solely exists to redeploy used electronics collected through various channels.

This business model is a very old trick in the technology business. I've made a habit of haunting a few "recycling centers" I know that receive tech gear from environmentalists through the front door, but operate a ghetto fabulous computer junkyard out the back doors.