Going green may seem like the latest fashion trend, but the truth is there’s a mountain of gear that gets outdated every couple of months and a ton more that gets created with each Apple keynote address. With each new “One More Thing,” there are millions of Tired Old Things that invariably get tossed aside--Americans throw out a couple million tons of e-waste each year. And, as we all know, our tech gear is laden with toxins and cannot just be dumped in landfills. Here’s the lowdown on e-cycling:

TVs. By now we all know that the deadline for switching our televisions from analog to digital is June 12, 2009. By that time, an estimated 24 million cathode ray tube televisions (CRT) will need to be disposed of. So, what should we do with the mountain of old analog TVs? First of all, if you buy a converter box or subscribe to cable or satellite, you can hang on to your existing TV. If not, remember that CRT TVs contain toxins like chromium, lead, and mercury, so it’s important to recycle them, not dump them. For recycling centers near you, check out:

>> Earth 911 (earth911.com/electronics/)
>> My Green Electronics (www
.mygreenelectronics.org/)
>> Sony’s recycling program (tinyurl
.com/35meqg)
>> National Recycling Coalition (tinyurl
.com/dleoga)

Cell Phones. There are currently around 500 million unused cell phones in the United States, and of the 130 million mobiles that will be retired this year alone, fewer than 10 percent will be recycled. What you can do: Think before you buy a new cell phone (do you really need a new one?), and if you do, recycle or donate your old one. Check out these sites for tips on how and where to do that:

>> www.epa.gov/cellphone
>> www.recyclewirelessphones.com
>> www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com
>> www.charitablerecycling.com
>> www.eco-cell.org

In-Store Recycling. Many stores that sell technology will help you recycle that tech when it’s outlived its usefulness:

>> Office Depot (tinyurl.com/cejmk5)
>> Staples ($10 fee for recycling large equipment, tinyurl.com/cz9sm3)
>> Apple (purchase any qualifying Apple computer or display and receive free recycling of your old computer and monitor--regardless of manufacturer, www.apple.com/environment/recycling)

Don’t Hate It, Donate It. Sure, you’re over it, but your old digital trash could be a schoolkid’s treasure. For info on donating, see:

>> www.pcsforschools.org
>> www.justgive.org
>> Tech Soup’s Donate Hardware page (tinyurl.com/2ajpb)

Cash In. These sites offer money for old cell phones (and some accept iPods and PSPs too):

>> www.cellforcash.com
>> www.phoneiscash.com
>> www.cashmyphone.com
>> www.simplysellular.com
>> www.buymytronics.com