Apple commits to recycling products for free

Apple is offering free recycling of all its used products and vowing to power all of its stores, offices, and data centres with renewable energy to reduce the pollution caused by its devices and online services.

The iPhone and iPad maker is detailing its efforts to cultivate a greener Apple with an environmental section on the company's website that debuted on Monday.

"When you recycle with Apple your used equipment is disassembled, and key components that can be reused are removed. Glass and metal can be reprocessed for use in new products," Apple explains on its website.

"A majority of the plastics can be pelletised into a raw secondary material. With materials reprocessing and component reuse, Apple often achieves a 90 percent recovery rate by weight of the original product."

Among other things, the company is increasing its reliance on solar and wind power, while sending less electronic junk to landfills.

Apple had already been distributing cards at some of its stores in exchange for iPhones and iPods with some resell value.

Now, all of the company's stores will recycle any Apple product at no charge. Gift cards won't be handed out for all recycled products.

Apple's commitment to helping the environment began in 2005 when the company launched an iPod recycling program where it rewarded customers with a 10 percent discount to buy a new iPod if they handed in their old one. Soon after, it extended that recycling program to include computers — Macs or PCs.