samsonovs / Shutterstock.com Game Consoles Alternative ways to recycle Illegal in Garbage & Drains Donate or Sell if Usable Electronics Recycling Drop-Off samsonovs / Shutterstock.com Consider selling or donate working game consoles. Local gaming stores often pay for usable consoles. If you are looking to donate a console, use a free take-back program from those below or find a donation location using the NYS Reuse Locator Map. If the console is no longer working, it is considered electronic waste. Check out the NYS Electronics Recycling Locator Map for possible recycling and take-back options. Interested in learning more about Electronics recycling? Check out this post on Recycle Right New York’s Instagram. Don't Throw Away Game consoles are made of recyclable parts, including the circuit board and plastic casing. Game consoles can leach harmful metals into the environment, so never throw them away. Alternative Ways to Recycle Best Buy's Buy Back Program Best Buy will take back video game consoles and many other home electronics for free through their recycling program. They also run a trade-in program for video games and consoles. Nintendo Product Recycling Nintendo offers a free take back program for their hardware, software, accessories and chargers. They also accept video game consoles from customers who have purchased a Nintendo console. Microsoft Trade-In and Recycling Program Trade in old devices, game consoles or games for Microsoft store credit or cash. Electronics Recovery and Recycling Program California passed the Electronics Recycling Act of 2003 to regulate how electronics are handled at the end of their life. Find out which organizations will take back unwanted or damaged electronics. Ways to Reduce Clean Your Console Keep your game consoles in good shape by cleaning them to prevent debris from clogging the vents or scratching games. Check out this helpful article on how to clean a video game system. Ways to Reuse Sell on eBay Even if your video game console is broken, consider selling it online. There are people who want to buy broken video game consoles in order to recover working parts, which they use to fix other consoles. Donate to Thrift Shops You can drop off any unwanted video consoles at a thrift shop so they don’t end up in a landfill.