What is my old electronics actually worth (and what would recycling save)?
Live scrap prices + EPA WARM v16 carbon factors | Free, no sign-up, results computed per request
Pick the devices you want to dispose of. The calculator returns a trade-in value range (working-condition resale, using aggregated published programme prices) and a scrap value range (recoverable material value at current commodity prices) for each one - plus the kg CO₂e you avoid by recycling instead of landfilling using the EPA WARM v16 emission factor for that device type.
Pick your devices
How this calculator works
Three independent data sources feed every result:
- Scrap value is the recoverable precious-metal and base-metal content of the device, priced at today's commodity spot rates from Yahoo Finance and the London Metal Exchange and then discounted to a 40% recycler buyback rate (industry-standard payout after refining and assay costs). Per-device material yield is derived from UNEP's 2009 "Recycling From E-Waste to Resources" study, Cucchiella et al. (2015) "Recycling of WEEEs", iFixit teardown reports, and EPA Sustainable Materials Management. Refreshed daily by an automated job - see the standalone scrap value calculator for the per-device breakdown.
- Trade-in value is the MIN of trade_in_low and MAX of trade_in_high across every model of that device type we track (Decluttr, Back Market, Apple Trade In, Samsung Trade-In, Google Store, manufacturer trade-in programmes). It is intentionally a wide range - it covers brand-new models down to broken units. For a specific make + model, use the device value checker.
- CO₂ saved uses the official US EPA WARM v16 model (2023), Table 1-2 - "Net Emission Factors for Recycling vs Landfilling". For each device we apply the WARM factor for its dominant material class (mixed electronics, personal computers, monitors, mixed metals) to its average kg weight to get kg CO₂e avoided per unit. Equivalents (miles driven, urban trees planted) come from EPA's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
Why trade-in and scrap are different numbers
A working iPhone 14 has a trade-in value of about $280 because the device can be refurbished and resold. The same iPhone's scrap value is about $5 - that's the gold, silver, copper, and palladium a recycler can recover from the circuit board. Trade-in is 56x the scrap value because the resale market pays for the product, the scrap market only pays for the material. As soon as a device stops working, can no longer be supported with security updates, or ages past 5-7 years, trade-in collapses toward zero and scrap value becomes the floor.
The decision rule:
- Trade-in if your device works, is less than 5 years old, and the trade-in midpoint exceeds 5× the scrap midpoint - sell to a refurbisher.
- Recycle if the device is broken, 7+ years old, or trade-in is within 2× of scrap - drop off at a certified recycler. You still get the scrap value (sometimes paid back, sometimes captured by the recycler) and the carbon avoidance.
- Donate if the device works but has zero monetary value - functioning equipment delivered to a charity has higher social return than either path above.
The CO₂ avoidance is not the same as carbon-removal
Recycling avoids the embodied emissions of mining + refining virgin materials. It does not remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. The EPA WARM number tells you "this is how much CO₂ the world doesn't have to emit because you returned the materials to circulation" - the counterfactual is mining new bauxite, copper ore, and rare earths. For audited carbon claims (CDP, GRI, CSRD ESRS E5) you should commission an ISO 14064-3 verified statement from your ITAD provider rather than rely on EPA WARM averages.
What happens to the metals once you recycle
A certified recycler (R2v3 or e-Stewards) sorts the devices by category, shreds them, magnetically separates ferrous from non-ferrous, then sells the metal streams to smelters. Copper goes to Aurubis or Umicore. Aluminium goes to secondary aluminium plants. Precious-metal-bearing fractions (circuit boards, capacitors) go to Boliden, Umicore Precious Metals Refining, or Aurubis for hydrometallurgical refining. The lithium-ion battery stream goes to dedicated processors like Li-Cycle, Redwood Materials, or Glencore. Plastic housings go to plastic recyclers - though the yield is poor because most consumer electronics use flame-retardant blends that are hard to re-extrude.
Frequently asked questions
How much is my old laptop worth?
A working laptop less than 5 years old typically has trade-in value between $50 and $1,500 depending on model. A broken or older laptop has a scrap value of $5-$30 from recoverable copper, aluminium, and trace gold/silver on the motherboard. Use the calculator above to get both numbers for your exact device type. Trade-in beats scrap by 5-20x when the device still works.
How much CO₂ does recycling electronics actually save?
Recycling one laptop saves approximately 6.7 kg of CO₂e by avoiding the need to mine and refine the equivalent virgin metals (EPA WARM v16, Table 1-2). A fridge or washing machine saves 70-100 kg of CO₂e because of their much higher metal content. The calculator combines the EPA WARM emission factor (kg CO₂ per short ton of recycled material) with average device weights to give a per-unit number for each item you select.
Where do these numbers come from?
Three sources. (1) Scrap value: live commodity prices for gold, silver, palladium, copper, aluminium, steel, lithium and cobalt from Yahoo Finance and the London Metal Exchange, multiplied by per-device material yield from peer-reviewed studies (UNEP 2009, Cucchiella et al. 2015), then discounted to a 40% recycler buyback rate. Updated daily by an automated job. (2) Trade-in: min/max of published trade-in prices across Decluttr, Back Market, Apple Trade In, Samsung Trade-in, Google Store and similar programmes, aggregated per device type. (3) CO₂: EPA WARM v16 (2023), Table 1-2 - the official US EPA model for emissions avoided by recycling vs landfilling, applied to average device weights.
Why is the trade-in value usually higher than the scrap value?
Because the resale market pays for a working product, the scrap market only pays for the recoverable raw materials. A working iPhone has $200 of trade-in value but only $5 of recoverable gold/copper - 40x difference. As soon as the device stops working or is more than 5-7 years old, trade-in drops toward zero and scrap value becomes the floor. The calculator shows both numbers so you can pick the right channel.
Can I get more than the calculator estimate?
Yes, sometimes. Trade-in: prices vary up to 30% between Decluttr, Back Market and manufacturer trade-in programmes - get 2-3 quotes and pick the highest. Scrap: bulk lots get better rates (50 laptops to one recycler beats 50 separate drop-offs). The calculator uses range estimates from our data; your specific device condition, regional market, and recycler choice can push you 25% above or below the range.
Is this number good enough for an ESG report?
For an internal carbon-budget allocation, yes - EPA WARM is the standard source. For an audited ESG disclosure (CDP, GRI, CSRD), you need a vendor-specific LCA from your ITAD provider. Most R2v3 and e-Stewards-certified providers issue ISO 14064-compatible certificates on request, typically free for projects over 100 devices. This tool is the right starting point; for businesses we offer a separate /tools/carbon-footprint-calculator and an ITAD quotes funnel at /business/it-asset-disposition.
Related tools and resources
Methodology and disclaimers
Range estimates only. Actual trade-in offers depend on device condition, model, region, and the buyback programme you use. Actual scrap payouts vary 20-40% between recyclers in the same city. CO₂e numbers are EPA WARM v16 averages applied to average device weights - they are accurate to within ±20% for the device type but should not be used as an audit-grade figure for ESG disclosure. Currency conversion is at a stable USD→GBP rate (0.79, as of 2026-05-24); FX may have drifted since. The calculator stores nothing about your selection - the URL encodes your choices so you can share or bookmark a result, but no record is kept server-side.