There’s a good chance you have some piece of technology on your wish list this holiday season. But even though you’re wishing for that new gadget, you shouldn’t be too quick to throw out your old tech.
Rather than junking your old phone or computer when you get an upgrade, or just sticking it in a drawer and forgetting about it, give your old gadget new life with one of these easy DIY projects.
Reuse and upcycle
With the speed that technology advances, just about everyone finds himself loaded with a few gadgets that are obsolete. Whether you’re a crafty person or not, there are plenty of cool ways to reuse items rather than just creating more harmful waste.
Sites like Pinterest and Instructables are great places to find inspiration. Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination.
1. Create jewelry
From resistor earrings to circuit board pins, you can find a lot of beauty in electronics that will inspire some unique jewelry. Check out sites like Etsy to see what other people are doing with electronic parts in their crafts.
2. Make magnets
Have any old keyboards lying around that you never use? Pop off the letter keys, and with some glue and cheap magnets attached to their backs, they become a great addition to your fridge. Use them to teach kids how to spell.
3. Use old webcams as security cameras
Surveillance cameras are a great way to protect a home or office, but because of the cost to buy them, set them up, and maintain them, a lot of people don’t regard them as an option.
However, if you have any old webcams sitting around, you can easily set them up in your home and use them to keep an eye on things while you’re away.
4. Retro notebooks
You can’t have too many notebooks for scribbling down grocery lists and random thoughts. If you’re looking to make a unique gift or just something cool for yourself, create a custom notebook between two floppy disks.
5. Hold onto old memory cards
When you get rid of an old camera or laptop, make sure you take out the memory card first. Old memory cards can come in handy if you need to share files or free up space, and they have a lot of other uses that you probably haven’t thought of.
