How to Recycle Your Music Gear – Score Short Reads
If you’ve been involved in music for some time, chances are someone has asked you the most annoying question in the world at some point: “Why do you have so much junk?” To which you always reply: “My gear is not junk!” And that’s true.
But just because it is not “junk” does not mean that today is not the perfect day to start getting rid of our old equipment to make some space, or to acquire better quality equipment (if that is the case).
This is a good time to start talking about recycling equipment that has reached the end of its usefulness.
All of us (or at least most) always begin to venture into the musical field with equipment that we can acquire at that time, perhaps not all of us can start with the best or the most expensive from the beginning and that is why we acquire equipment whose price is adapted to our budgets.
But there also comes a time where we can renew the equipment we started with to acquire new and better equipment, either because they have broken down or simply because the time has come to give rise to better equipment. This is good and healthy for us.
That is why this time we are going to talk about How to recycle your music and audio equipment
1. How and why recycle my equipment
Speaking of ecology, the components inside stereo and audio equipment are made of heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium.
If you put them in the garbage (yes, there are people who do), they will end up in a garbage can. As equipment breaks down, rainwater washes away those heavy metals and that dirty water ends up in local water supplies, this is going to very extreme cases.
Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources and prevents air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions caused by manufacturing virgin materials.
Therefore, recycling your old electronics also preserves natural resources and at the same time we encourage the long-term use of equipment that can still provide good performance.
Use the Internet to find out how and where to recycle your stereo and audio equipment. Social networks will also help you find someone who can use what you no longer can.
It really couldn’t be easier: go to the internet, a page of musicians on social networks or on the web and offer equipment that can be useful for someone else. We are pretty sure someone will be happy to find what you can offer.
2. Can you donate it?
Yes, if your equipment is still working, donating it is a great option. Not only do you get the satisfaction of handing over your equipment that was once loved, but you can also support the dreams and products of a friend, acquaintance or even a colleague.
You can even make an exchange if you like that, find someone with whom you can make a good deal and go ahead. For example, if you bought a guitar pedal for playing blues music (and don’t want to play it anymore), you can exchange it with someone with a heavy metal focused pedal who wants to venture into playing blues now (a Boss Blues Driver for an MXR Fullbore Metal).
3. Can you sell it?
Absolutely. If your gear still has a lot of life left, sell it. This will be a great way for you to make a bigger investment in your new equipment, and you can even buy something worth more than what you thought. Look to sell your used equipment on the internet, social networks, etc.
