What to Do With Old Games Consoles

From Italian plumbers to battle royals the gaming industry has risen from developer passion projects to Silicon Valley tech giants. That rise has produced more games, even more gamers, a huge market and lots of profit. Newzoo reported that in 2020 the gaming industry grew to a value of $174.9 billion with console gaming contributing its fair share. We’ve detailed some options so you’ll know what to do with old game consoles.

Recycling Game Consoles

Our appetite for tech means the UK is creating a constant stream of electrical waste. If you’re pondering where to recycle game consoles you may find that a Clearabee service can help remove your rubbish promptly and responsibly. Recycling game consoles can see wires, circuit boards and precious metals salvaged or reused. As well as recycling games consoles, you can also explore the options of donating it to a charity.

How Popular is Gaming in 2021?

The next generations of consoles launched late last year in November and ever since have been in constant demand. Early sales figures show that PlayStation 5 has sold 4.2 million units and the Xbox Series X has sold 2.8 million units. This demand for the latest gaming tech and the pandemic has driven the gaming industry to be larger than both the sports and film industry in the US.

A month after their launch, many gamers have found they can’t get their hands on these next-generation consoles as demand is outpacing supply. The large number of scalpers have only made the issue worse with one study estimating that scalpers have made $28m from re-sold consoles on eBay alone. A quick search of shops where you should usually be able to purchase the latest tech will only reveal that these consoles are sold out everywhere.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who have managed to purchase a next-generation console you may be wondering what to do with old games consoles? Maybe you’ve got an ancient Xbox 360 stashed in a shed after it became victim to the ‘red ring of death’ or something even older.

What to Do With Old Games Consoles: Waste Collection

You should not dispose of your old consoles, their wires or accessories via your council collected bin. This is because they all fall into the category of electrical waste or WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling).

The metals, plastics and chemicals used to create these devices can leak into the local environment if they are not disposed of properly.

At Clearabee we have several options for collecting WEEE and a range of different types of waste. For small amounts of WEEE waste, our mini Skip Bags may be best suited for the job. They come in rolls of 10 for £4.99. When using a Skip Bag for electrical waste we ask that you dedicate a bag to WEEE disposal so that it doesn’t get mixed with other types of waste. This means if you were to put an old console in a Skip Bag you could find other electrical items that you don’t need any more to fill it up. You could use it to get rid of old chargers, broken tech, batteries and much more.

You can look at reselling your old consoles, but this leaves you waiting for someone to take you up on your offer. There are stores that can take old tech off your hands for cash, but this is usually at reduced rates. For instance, 7th generation consoles (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) will be worth no more than £20 in cash. For the most stress-free and convenient solution to getting rid of your old tech, try Clearabee.

Even in cases where you need larger quantities of waste, we have options like full-sized skips and ‘Man and Van’ removal services. If you’ve got a mix of different types of waste you can use our waste calculator to get an instant quote. From gaming consoles to old sofas, if you need to get rid of it, we can help and ensure it is disposed of responsibly.