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Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five cell phones that are no longer used by different family members. One is water damaged. Another doesn't work for unknown reasons. Another is from a pay-as-you go plan from a service provider we no longer use... I could go on, but you get the picture, and that's only cell phones. Even in the homes of late technology adopters, old cell phones, computers, cameras and mp3 players are piling up. Am I right?

By now, we all realize it's not good for the environment to just toss electronics into the garbage. There's a market for recycled electronics parts. But most of us, truth be told, are not going to set up shop on eBay to sell our discarded electronics. That's the gap a web biz like Gazelle is hoping to fill.

Gazelle from Second Rotation could not be simpler to use. After answering some questions about the condition of the product and whether you have certain accessories, manuals, etc., Gazelle determines a value for the product based on what it is selling for on other retail sites, such as Amazon and eBay. There are nine categories and more than 18,000 individual products listed on the site.

Shipping is free, and many items even qualify for a free box, which Gazelle will send you. If you provide the box, you just need to print out a prepaid shipping label generated on the web site. You can either receive a check for payment, have your PayPal account credited, or donate to more than 20 well-known charities.

The biggest sticking point for most of us is the concern that some private data left on our electronics will be vulnerable to theft. Second Rotation President and COO Israel Ganot ensures that the site works with the most reputable data destruction firms and guarantees your data is safe. Instructions will be posted on the Gazelle detailing how to remove private data before sending in the phones, he adds. But when I recycle old cell phones, I'll be following these directions from Yahoo! Tech's Chris Null to clear private data, if possible. (Of course, if you have a phone or item that won't turn on, it's not possible.)

I will definitely be trying Gazelle out, so I'll let you know how it goes. The Wall Street Journal's Katherine Boehret has tried out Gazelle and takes a look at some other services, including VenJuvo.com. She says it's really important to compare the values offered by the sites for what you are recycling because they can vary.

Does this kind of recycle-for-cash service sound like the answer to your discarded electronics pile-up? Or have you found another way to safely recycle electronics?

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