If your headphones are like an extension of your being, we get you. The perfect set is critical to your wellbeing. You use your headphones for just about everything you do online and off – chat to friends, listen to podcasts, study, work, jogging, meditation – it’s all connected.
So naturally, they break from time to time, and it’s on to the next set. But, what should you do with your old set? Toss them? Or are headphones actually recyclable?
The short answer – yes – and you should totally recycle them!
In 2018 a staggering 336 million headphones (in all their shapes and sizes) were sold worldwide – I can’t even contemplate the resources that go to waste when all of those are eventually thrown in the bin.
Luckily, recycling them can be simple, and there are many options.
First of all, you can try to repair them. If it was an expensive pair, it might be worth the effort. You could also try to sell them on eBay, helping someone who’s in desperate need of parts. As a final option, some sites allow you to exchange your faulty headphones for coupons – yay!
So, if your headphones aren’t living up to your audiophile standards, let’s take a look at exactly what you can do to get back to your happy space without feeling guilty.
What Are Headphones Made Of?
Your headphones are made of both recyclable and non-recyclable components. This can make things a bit trickier, but not impossible. Knowing exactly what your headphones are made of will help you know when you can look into replacing, when you should recycle, and when it’s a good idea to give it up for parts.
- The Headband: Your headphones generally have a hard PVC headband, which offers strength and durability. PVC is notoriously difficult to recycle though – one more reason you should definitely keep it off the landfill. If they still look good, it could be a great idea to sell them for parts.
- The Earbuds: Depending on the type of headphones or earphones you have, the squishy bit that goes into or over your ear is usually made of either rubber, silicone, latex, or leather. If you have headphones, the leather or latex pads will be stuffed with foam for added comfort. Unfortunately, foam and latex can’t be recycled – but foam, for instance, can be reused in refurbished sets.
- The Speakers: The powerhouse of your headphones consist of a magnet (metal) and other bits and pieces (like paper or plastic) that are all recyclable. If your headphones are worn down, and the speaker sound is poor – they’re perfect for the recycling center.
- The Cord: This is probably the easiest to recycle (and replace). If you just have issues with your cable, perhaps it’s damaged – I highly recommend having it repaired. The cord’s center is made of copper or aluminum wire, while the protective insulation is made of rubber or cloth.
- The Jack: The last little piece of the puzzle is the jack. It usually consists of a piece of copper that connects your device to the headphones, protected by a metal or PVC casing. The metals are recyclable and please keep in mind that the jack is easily replaced when damaged.
You don’t have to throw everything away if one small part is broken.
First, Let’s See If It’s Really Time to Recycle Your Headphones
You don’t always have to get rid of your headphones. It’s a good idea to give them a thorough inspection to determine exactly what’s wrong or why you’re considering it.
The main things to consider are:
1. Can I Fix My Broken Headphones?
Great question, if one small part is broken, it could be a good idea to simply replace it. If a part like the jack or the cord is broken, this can easily be fixed.
Sites like iFixit have made it their mission to keep your headphones working. They have an entire section dedicated to repairs. If you have a general idea of what’s wrong, this could be a great option.
2. My Headphones Are Working, But They Look Terrible!
Perhaps you didn’t look after your headphones as well as you should have. They might just need some desperate TLC.
This is the easiest problem to solve – give your headphones new life with a new look.
Scratches can be covered with a slick of paint or a few of your favorite travel stickers.
Some damages? Try refurbishing – sites like instructables.com show you how you can replace headbands or padding.
You don’t have to say goodbye to your favorite headphones just yet.
3. Can I Donate My Old Earphones?
This is ONLY applicable if they still work – don’t dump your broken earphones at the hospice.
If your old pair is still in great working condition, but you’re ready for the newest noise-cancelling phenomenon – don’t let your old set gather dust in the cupboard.
Giving them to someone else will boost your karma cred and help save the planet.
Before You Do Anything, Let’s See What Your Headphones Might Be Worth
If you decide that you’re not up for the effort of refurbishing, there are a few options that could either make you some money or save you some money.
1. Your Headphones Can Be Recycled in Exchange for Cash or Coupons
Recycling and refurbishing is huge in the quality electronics market. Companies like JLab, Best Buy, and Thinksound are famous for offering discounts to customers returning old electronics, and they also offer refurbished items for sale.
Best Buy has a trade-in option above their free recycling program. If your headphones are still working (no matter the overall condition), then you could get some cold hard cash back for them.
It won’t be a lot, so if you think you could get a pretty penny for some pristine headphones – I have some advice in the next section.
JLab also has a great program for recycling headphones and other electronics. To reward your efforts, you’ll get a 30% discount on your next online order.
The process is pretty straight-forward, you just need to fill out an online application on their website, and they’ll send you the details of how to recycle your set under their initiative.
2. Gift Your Old Headphones
This could save you some money if you don’t have to buy a new gift for your niece or nephew. Someone in your close circle will appreciate a good headphone set – even if you’re over them.
This is a great option if you know the person well and your headphones are still in relatively good condition.
You might just be making someone’s day if you give them the headphones, they were just about to purchase for a few hundred dollars.
3. Sell Your Old Headphones
If you feel like your headphones are in great condition, and you could possibly get a good price – selling them privately might be your best option.
Scan prices of similar items to get an idea of what you can get for them, and then list it.
▪️ EBay
eBay gives you access to thousands of potential buyers. The process of signing up and listing your product is relatively simple and fast.
You do need to be verified, but that makes sense – you’d also want potential clients to be verified.
Remember to add high-quality original images of your headphones, and not generic images you can download from the internet. This gives buyers confidence, and you’re more likely to get a sale.
▪️ Amazon
It’s a little bit harder to get listed on Amazon, but worth a shot. If you have high-quality headphones, then this might be a great place to get them sold.
Amazon is more geared towards wholesalers, but it doesn’t mean you won’t reach potential buyers.
As a private seller, you’ll have to do a short verification process before you can post any items for sale. Be sure to use the right keywords to get people to your listing.
▪️ Craigslist
If you’re looking for a more generalist platform, where anything goes – Craigslist is a great option.
It’s much easier to get your account live and finding a local buyer is very common. If you are meeting your buyer in person, just be mindful of scams.
There are numerous ways people can try to con you out of your goods and cash. PayPal can be reversed as well as some credit card payments.
Make sure to wait until the money has cleared before handing over your headphones.
▪️ Reddit
This isn’t super well known, but Reddit has a buy, sell, swap, exchange called Redditbay.
I have to be honest, this forum is a bit of a mess, but with over 86K members, you’re sure to find a buyer.
It’s very easy to sign up, just create an account if you don’t already have one, join the forum, and post your thread.
People should start contacting you immediately, and you can set up a sale if you feel comfortable… Just remember – scams are rife.
▪️ Cash Converters
Cash Converters is a great option for getting your second-hand headphones sold in the UK (or New Zealand, South Africa, France, the United States, Canada, Spain, and Malaysia, as a matter of fact).
They do have an online presence, but the idea is to go in and sell your goods to them, and they then sell it to whoever wants it.
You get your money immediately, and they deal with the actual sale (adding a commission, of course – but at no cost to you).
▪️ Head-Fi
For the love of audio Head-Fi is an organization that was created by audiophiles for audiophiles.
Originally created as a space where audio lovers could come together to discuss and read about high-end personal audio and headphones.
Today, it’s exploded into a bustling forum for discussion, sales and marketing. It’s not for everyone, but if you want to sell your headphones it’s the place to be.
▪️ Headphone Zone
Headphone Zone might be in India, but if you have the right headphones, it’s a crazy marketplace and one worth exploring.
Another bonus is that you can find new quality headphones at a fraction of the price on Headphone Zone.
If you want to save on international shipping, apps like Grabr allow you to send and receive parcels at a fraction of the usual shipping costs.
How You Should Recycle Your Headphones
Headphones are classified under e-waste and require electronics recycling. This means your headphones might need to go to a specialized facility.
This is quite important to remember – if you send your headphones to a normal recycling facility, it might still end up in the landfill just because they don’t have the capacity to process it or to store it to be sent to the right facility.
1. Local E-Waste Recycling
Luckily there are lots of electronics recycling facilities to go around, and many retailers have taken it upon themselves to help clients and make the whole process even easier.
Your local city recycling facility might accept e-waste, so the first step is to give them a call. If they don’t accept e-waste, your second-best bet.
2. Online E-Waste Recycling Projects
If you can’t find any local e-waste recycling facilities, the next step would be to look online.
There are numerous online retailers that will accept e-waste free of charge. JLab and Best Buy both have simple online recycling programs where you can register and have your electronics shipped to, free of charge.
It’s simple, and you know your headphones will be recycled, or the parts will be used before the rest is recycled and disposed of responsibly.
It’s important to remember that e-waste has numerous chemicals that when disposed of incorrectly, become an environmental and health hazard.
Some of the chemicals used to protect our electronics can pollute our water bodies, exposing us to the harmful side effects.
It’s our responsibility to make sure our electronics are recycled properly to protect the environment we live in.
So, What’s the Best Place to Recycle Headphones
■ Best Buy
Undeniably, the simplest process and the most efficient. Customers can choose to trade-in their electronics, or recycle at zero to minimal cost.
They accept a wide variety of e-waste products, such as headphones, small TV’s, Headsets, battery packs, and much more.
They are a nationwide electronics retailer and you should be able to find one near to where you live.
Best Buy works mostly on a drop off system, allowing customers to take in up to three items daily.
For larger appliances, it’s recommended that you call them first, as they might arrange a pickup at your home.
If you’d like to make use of this facility, just check your local Best Buy’s website or contact them.
Best Buy has a nifty trade-In calculator that you can use to decide if it’s better to trade-in or recycle.
■ e-Stewards
If you’re already excited about ridding the world of e-waste, becoming a part of the e-Stewards program might be a great idea.
You can visit their website to access their list of e-Stewards Recyclers. By sending your headphones or e-waste to any of these facilities, you can rest assured that it’s being recycled in the safest possible way.
This nonprofit organization is dedicated to preventing toxic chemicals from e-waste to continue to cause harm to human health and the environment worldwide.
For many e-waste was never a concern, largely due to a lack of awareness programs. This has been especially true in major tech countries such as the US. The reason being that many of the country’s e-waste used to be exported to Asia.
This would have been a fair exchange if the e-waste was effectively recycled. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.
The e-Stewards program has made it their mission to stop these exports and call on Americans to take responsibility.
You can help them by using their facilities, following them on Facebook, and being a responsible tech user.
■ Office Depot/OfficeMax
Another great local option would be the Office Depot Tech Recycling Service Box. These boxes can be bought and taken home to fill with e-waste.
Once you have filled the box with enough e-waste (specific to one category), you can take the box back for inspection.
Office Depot will then ship your waste off to one of their trusted waste management partners, who will do the rest.
There are different box sizes, meaning you can add as much or as little as you need and they are surprisingly affordable.
A box can cost anything from $5 for a smaller box to $15 for a larger box.
■ Staples
Staples office stores have partnered with e-Stewards to offer recycling to its customers. When you bring in e-waste, you get Staples Rewards, which can be used in the store for discounts.
The retailer also offers trade-in services for electronic devices. After a quick inspection, they will give you a quote for Staples eCash Cards. You can do this in-store or online, for added flexibility.
There is a daily limit of 6 items per customer, but if you’re just taking in a pair of headphones, you should be good.
If you want to set up an e-waste recycling project at work, you can use the Staples Advantage program to arrange a free pickup of your e-waste.
■ Call2recycle
Some wireless headphones contain batteries, and if you need to have them recycled (which you always should!), it’s a great idea to contact the non-profit Call2Recycle.
This local NPO collects and safely disposes of rechargeable batteries. The process is quite simple, just enter your ZIP code to find the nearest participating retailer who acts as a Call2Recycle drop-off location.
Some stores where you can drop off old batteries include Staples, Home Depot, RadioShack, Lowe’s, Verizon, and Apple Stores.
It’s 100% free and if you haven’t been recycling all your dead batteries, now’s a great time to start.
■ E-Cycle
Another e-Stewards certified partner, E-Cycle has positioned itself as an used mobile device buyer.
Not exactly a place where you can drop off headphones, but it’s good to know where you can drop off other e-waste too.
■ Back to the Manufacturers
Many local governments, regulatory bodies, and companies are proactively taking responsibility for recycling e-waste.
The EPA, to this effect, has launched the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge. The challenge goes out to all original equipment manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers and helps them show their ongoing commitment and responsibility towards the community.
Best Buy, Staples, and vendors like Dell, LG, Samsung, and Sony are all participants. The EPA also offers basic consumer recycling information, with one relating to electronics donations and recycling.
The idea is for vendors to take back their own brands, so clients can easily return electronics for recycling.
■ And as a Last Resort for Recycling Broken Headphones
If none of the above has worked out for you, you can always try the numerous third-party service providers out there.
Recycling electronics is a lucrative business, and many will accept your second-hand headphones, phones, and more for trade-in. Try online trading sites like Gazelle, uSell, or Flipsy.
There are other service providers that will even help you find the best quote for your second-hand electronics. CompareandRecycle.com will compare multiple sites and find you the site that will pay you the most for your old electronics.
How to Take Care of Your Headphones
Recycling can be a hassle, the best thing to do is to look after your headphones so that they last and when you decide to buy the latest headphone innovation, they can go to a friend.
So, how exactly can you take care of your headphones? It’s quite simple; you need to understand the different parts and know what to do and what not to do.
Firstly, just keep them safe from extreme conditions. Don’t leave them outside in the sun for the afternoon, and if you did – don’t rush them to the refrigerator (I know it’s tempting).
Taking a bath while listening to Coldplay is tempting, but again, a bad idea. The humidity in a bathroom will mess with your headphones.
Don’t pull on the cord to remove your headphones from the socket. This is a surefire way to dislodge the cord from the jack. No need to test this fact – I can vouch for it.
Take the jack around the protective cover when removing.
And finally, how you store them when not in use is critical. Headphones should have a protective cover, and the cord should be wrapped and secured. There is a cute little bow method that I love.
Wrap the cord around your hand and make a loose knot to secure the bundle. This will also stop your cord from getting tangled, making life a whole lot easier when you want to use them again.
The best is to buy quality and look after it. We are more likely to not look after things that we regard as cheap.
However, the truth is that nothing is cheap, there is a very high price on every single thing we buy – and the currency isn’t in dollars.