Recycle old cell phones and get paid

(WPRI) - Smaller, faster, better. New cell phones seem to hit the market every day – leaving your old one collecting dust.

Now there’s a new way to turn your tired technology into quick and easy cash.

Thinking of burying that old cell phone with the rest of your junk? According to one new company, that’s like throwing money away.

It’s not quite your typical ATM. Instead of your debit card, this one takes your old phone and in turn, gives you green.

It’s called an Eco ATM.

CEO Tom Tullie says it’s the first in the world that does this sort of thing.

Here’s how it works: Southern California residents bring their old cell to a self-automated kiosk.

It asks a few questions, like if the phone is in good shape. Then, the system inspects the device and determines its worth based on the phone’s condition.

On average, you’ll get ten to fifteen bucks, but newer phones can be worth much more.

Tom Tullie said, “If it's a modern phone within the last two years...it could have 20, 30, even if you have an iPhone 2G, that could be worth a hundred dollars.”

All you do is bring the receipt to a partnered cell phone shop and they’ll show you the money, which can really add up.

“There's actually about a billion phones in our collective,” said CEO Tom Tullie.

And the tradeoff: good for the environment.

According to Tom Tullie, “We have about 50 different buyers we sell to, who refurbish the phones and sell them to secondary markets.”

All the phones are recycled and if you prefer to pass on the cash, you can donate your phone’s worth to charity just by touching the screen.

But if you’re like Nester Alfaro, you can leave a couple of dollars richer from something that simply collected dust.

“I was just gonna toss the phone...I was just gonna throw it in the trash,” said Nester Alfaro.

A spokesman from Eco ATM said that they plan to have a kiosk up and running in Boston by this spring and in Rhode Island at a date to be named later.

In fact, one of the company’s founders is from the Ocean State.