BlackBerry trade-ups from invigorated Flipswap

Flipswap is on a mission: reuse the reusable, recycle the recyclable, reduce waste, and plant a whole lot of trees. Not only that, but they want to buy your old phone. Since their launch in 2005, the ultra-green organization has accepted over 700,000 cell phones and iPods for trade-in, giving buyers credit towards a new purchase.

Thanks to their software, you can walk into one of almost 6,000 Flipswap-equipped brick-and-mortar stores in North America, hand the salesperson your trade-in phone, and find out how much it's worth, on the spot. You get your credit, right there, right then. The store sells a new phone, somebody else usually gets an affordable used phone, and the environment doesn't suffer another functional discarded device. Everybody wins. The phone's value is determined by condition, demand, and supply.

Participating retailers are plentiful and easy to find via the Flipswap website, but you can swap from home, too. Amazon and Newegg are a couple of the online retailers Flipswap works with. And with their official BlackBerry Trade-Up Program, you can either send your non-BlackBerry phone straight to Flipswap for credit on a new BB, or upgrade from one BB to another and get a check for the value of your trade-in.

Your old mobile will be recycled or reused. Not only are you extending your dollar and often helping someone in need, you're protecting the environment--in a significant way. In 2007, Flipswap's efforts saved US landfills from the equivalent of 50 tons of solid waste. Those batteries are no good for the planet, and are considered hazardous waste in California.

In 2008, Flipswap has gone a step further with their reLeaf initiative; a promise to plant a tree for each phone they take in, but can't put back to use. They project planting 25,000 trees by the end of the year. With a fresh $14 million in capital from investment firms and an inspiring pro-active attitude, Flipswap's positive environmental impact is likely to see just as much growth in '09 as the seeds they're sewing now. Got any gadgets that are waiting to be flipswapped?