The apple recycling program, extended to iPads and iPhones

Apple has launched a recycling scheme that could help you make money from your old iPhone, iPad, Mac or even Windows PC. If it doesn't, you can recycle it responsibly through one of our free recycling programmes." You can also now recycle old iPods and mobile phones through Apple.
An audit released by Apple on Friday reveals widespread violations of worker rights and environmental practices by manufacturing partners for the company’s wildly popular iPhone, iPad and other gadgets around the world.

Five facilities employed underage workers. The list of 156 companies includes such household names as Intel, Samsung and Sony as well as smaller suppliers in China, Malaysia and Singapore. Apple’s change of heart follows a highly publicized string of factory worker suicides in 2010 and deadly explosions in two Chinese factories in 2011. Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said that disclosing the supplier list is indicative of a shift in thinking at the company that focuses on maintaining Apple’s positive image with consumers who have been demanding that Apple take more responsibility for problems at companies in its supply chain.

Apple said it represents about 97 percent of its supply chain. Wu said that the list did not include subcontractors or companies that provide materials or components to Apple suppliers. The recycling program, extended to iPads and iPhones in the United States this summer, allows customers with older-model iOS devices to send them in to Apple and receive an Apple gift card in return for the remaining value of the device. In Germany, France, and the U.K., customers will get a direct deposit into their bank accounts for the value as opposed to a gift card, according to Apple's German Web site.

The best part of the recycling program is that Apple takes care of everything. PowerON will determine the fair market value for your device and issue an Apple gift card in that amount. German Mac site Macerkopf describes the process in Germany, France, and the U.K., where local subcontractors (Dataserv in Germany) will take care of assessing the fair market value of the device in question and the monetary value is deposited directly into a bank account.  "When you recycle with Apple, your used equipment is disassembled, and key components that can be reused are removed. With materials reprocessing and component reuse, Apple often achieves a 90 percent recovery rate by weight of the original product."