As member of network to mobilize mass green action, YouRenew.com now offers further rewards to customers for recycling their old gadgets.

YouRenew.com today announced that it has joined the Recyclebank® Ecosystem, a first-of-its-kind network of companies working together to motivate and reward people to take online and offline green actions created by Recyclebank, the company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions. In addition to earning cash back, YouRenew customers can now be rewarded with Recyclebank Points that can be redeemed for discounts and deals at www.Recyclebank.com.

Recyclebank Ecosystem is a coalition of like-minded brands and organizations who want to empower its customers and members to live more sustainable lives with the ultimate goal of making a substantial collective impact on the environment. YouRenew.com joins a distinguished group of partners who include, Preserve®, MillionTreesNYC, thredUP, Earth911, and UncommonGoods.

“Recyclebank realizes that to make a measurable environmental impact, we need to motivate millions to act in ways that create a more sustainable future. We cannot do this alone, however, so Ecosystem partners like YouRenew.com are instrumental in helping us mobilize a massive network of people to make more sustainable choices,” said Ali C. Mirian, Recyclebank Ecosystem general manager. “Thanks to YouRenew.com, we are further expanding our network of eco-conscious brands and consumers working together towards the common good of the planet.”

Partners who join the coalition collaborate with Recyclebank to reward their customers and audiences for making more eco-friendly choices throughout their day. After completing one of these or other green actions through a partner, such as opting for paperless bill pay, purchasing more sustainable products or engaging with educational green content, people earn points that can be redeemed for discounts and deals from local and national grocery stores, restaurants and retailers.

To earn rewards with Recyclebank, YouRenew.com customers can simply click the Recyclebank icon on the YouRenew.com order confirmation page. Customers will then be directed to the Recyclebank rewards page where they can redeem their points through one of Recyclebank’s many retail partners. Points earned through device renewal are awarded in addition to any cash value offered through the YouRenew.com trade-in program.

“YouRenew.com is always looking for new and tangible ways to further incentivize our customers to responsibly dispose of their old devices. Since our inception, this has been a primary focus,” said Bob Casey, YouRenew.com co-founder and COO. “Recyclebank is a leader in this effort and we are thrilled to offer our customers the opportunity to make a collective impact.”

To take advantage of YouRenew.com’s partnership with Recyclebank, visit us at YouRenew.com. For more information on the Recyclebank Ecosystem, visit www.recyclebank.com/ecosystem or contact ecosystem@recyclebank.com.

ABOUT YOURENEW

YouRenew.com was founded with a clear vision: to offer a safe, simple, and environmentally responsible outlet for used gadgets – and to allow anyone to “Get Paid to Renew.” The service first began as a collaboration between friends in a college dorm room in 2008. In the years since, we have worked with tens of thousands of customers and processed hundreds of thousands of devices. Our team has grown, as have our suite of services, and throughout this time our original mission has remained true. We are excited to continue working to further these goals, and hope that you will take the time to visit us soon!

ABOUT RECYCLEBANK

Recyclebank helps create a more sustainable future by rewarding people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from more than 3,000 local and national businesses. Through its online platform and partnerships with municipalities, haulers, small businesses and corporate brands, Recyclebank is empowering individuals to make a collective impact on the environment by increasing household recycling, reducing household energy usage and taking other environmentally-preferred actions. A Certified B Corporation, Recyclebank has been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme and for Outstanding Excellence in Public/Private Partnerships from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Recyclebank is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.Recyclebank.com.

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

Nah.

10 days into 2012, we reflect on 10 milestones for 2011.

#1 The most renewed device in both the consumer and corporate realms was the BlackBerry Curve 8310.

#2 The most valuable device renewed in the consumer realm was an Apple Macbook Air.

#3 The most valuable device renewed in the corporate realm it was an Apple iPhone 4 S 16GB.

#4 Corporate Renew’s first full year processed 2,219 corporate orders.

#5 The most active state for consumer orders was across the state in California.

#6 The article that drove the most traffic to www.YouRenew.com was “Yahoo Shine: Electronics Recycling for Cash“.

#7 The YouRenew Blog made a comeback.

#8 We became better at tweeting. #YouRenew

#9 We profiled a several members of the YouRenew team on YouRenew’s Facebook page.  (Become a fan of a YouRenew employee/ learn more about the people behind the biz here.)

#10 The most popular post on the YouRenew Blog was “The 2010 YouRenew Roundup“.

It may still be January, but we’re already on track to top last year’s milestones first and foremost by surviving the impending apocalypse.  Even if the world is going to end, isn’t it comforting to know that you can always depend on #YouRenew to #ecycle your #ewaste?

Advertisement for the Filbert 2790, the phone of 1911.

During the winter of 1911, magazine advertisements were recommending that bewildered American men who were shopping for Christmas presents, should buy their wife a Bell company telephone (image featured above):

The McKinsey Quarterly recently released a survey (“A Rising Role for IT”) aimed at learning more about the role of IT in large organizations. When executives were asked to name their priorities for the IT department, the responses were ranked:

(1) Improving effectiveness of business processes

(2) Improving efficiency of business processes

(3) Reducing IT costs

The problem with these three priorities is that implementing any one may often come at the expense of the of the other two. Improving efficiency and effectiveness will typically cost you money, improved efficiency may reduce the overall effectiveness of your processes, and so on.  But what sets our solution apart is that it can offset your IT costs without detracting from the efficiency or effectiveness of your business processes. In fact, our service can actually help with these first two priorities.

We have found that the money our clients receive for their old devices can help them upgrade technology without incurring too heavy a cost. If you turnover your devices before the “Terrible Two’s” (second hand value for mobiles typically plummets two years after its release) you put yourself in a position to receive meaningful value back – a strategy that can help your organization increase the rate of its device upgrades. With newer and better equipment you and your organization are in a more favorable position to address all of the priorities listed - efficiency, effectiveness, new products/services, security, etc.

What do diapers, Aladdin and an orange juice squeezer all have in common? 

It’s December, which means it’s time for the obligatory end of year list documenting the Top 10 of something.  In honor of this tradition, YouRenew sorted through the phones, laptops and calculators to document the ‘Top 10 Strangest Items Received in the Mail’.  None of the senders were paid to recycle, but all of them will forever be immortalized in YouRenew’s Hall of Fame for People Who Need to Be Asked, “Really?”

Top 10 Strangest Items Received in the Mail
A countdown from least to most bizarre.

#10 Prototype Nokia Phones (never made available to customers)  – not much to say on this except, keep reading, it’s about to get weird.

#9 Apple knockoffs: fake iPods, iPhones, etc. — We know these are fake because when we ask for Siri, we get her voicemail.  (lolz!!)

#8 Land-line phones — basically antiquated.

#7 Large C & D Cell Batteries — some of the most useless batteries around. Thanks.

#6 Inkjet Printer — slightly more useful than the batteries. Note to sender: please send us the ink now.

#2 Packing material in the form of: an unopened pack of Lay’s Kettle Cooked Maui Onion chips and an (unused) diaper.YouRenew Operations Technician, Jason Weber, who helped compile this list, had this to say about the diaper, “I’m not sure if their intent was a symbolic statement, but the phones were definitely ‘refuse’.”

#1 Disney VHS Movies — it is incredible that more than one person has thought of sending Disney in, in particular. What is the thought process that has led so many to the same conclusion? Can anyone explain?  At one point, the (sadly) underused YouRenew VHS (to repeat, VHS… as in, a tape you put in a VCR player) Library stocked, among others, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.

Thank you to our more creative customers for making this list possible.

Happy Holidays from YouRenew!