From Lightning to USB-C: Repurposing Your Old Apple Cables.

Apple is finally getting rid of its Lightning charge plug for new iPhones and replacing it with USB-C, which is a global standard.

Anyone who remembers “dongle-gate,” which happened when Apple moved from the old 30-pin dock cords to Lightning in 2012, might roll their eyes at yet another change. But in the long run, this will be good for us and the world because you’ll only have to carry one wire instead of a whole mess of them.

We have to get past a few problems first, though. Almost all of your products, like iPads, MacBooks, game devices, headphones, etc., can be charged with a USB-C connection right now. For iPhones and AirPods, you only need a Lightning connection.

Apple will no longer make different Lightning connections after this week, when the iPhone 15 and AirPod Pro 2nd generation come out. This change happened because new rules in Europe cracked down on e-waste and said that all mobile devices must use the same charger by 2024.

Can my old Lightning cord still work?

If you have an iPhone or AirPods with a lightning connection, you don’t have to do anything different. Apple’s $29 USB-C to Lightning adapter is not something you need.

When it’s time to get a new iPhone, you’ll need a single USB-C cable that works with everything. The good news is that you probably already have a few USB-C connections, since most other devices use them these days.

But you still have a problem: what will you do with all those old cords when you’re done with them? If you think, “I’ll just throw them away,” keep in mind that E-waste is a big problem not just for the U.S. but for the whole world.

What’s wrong with power cables?

Several years ago, Apple executives said that getting rid of Lightning connections would lead to “an unimaginable amount of electronic waste.” Even though Lightning connections on their own aren’t a big problem for the environment, the amount of e-waste as a whole is.

Roundup.org, a website about the environment, says that only 17% of electronic trash is recovered around the world. Many of these gadgets that aren’t salvaged end up in our junk bins, but some end up in landfills, where they release dangerous elements like lead, mercury, and cadmium into the soil and waterways.

Many of our old gadgets, like gold, silver, copper, and iron, contain useful and valuable metals that we should reuse.

Now that Apple has changed its tune and changed the way it charges, it’s a great place to bring old chargers and cords. No, you don’t get paid for them, but saving the world has its own benefits.

To Apple’s credit, the company has been “a leader in scraping off rare earth metals from its reuse pile to recover these expensive materials,” said Marian Chertow, a professor of corporate environmental management at the Yale School of the Environment.

How do you get lightning wires back into use?

How do you get rid of the useless tangle of old wires you’ve been keeping in your “cords” box? Also, how are you going to get rid of that old iPhone that you’ve been keeping for no reason since 2009?

I’ve written about some ways to clean out your junk box, but here are some more ideas that won’t add to the trash.

Use the e-waste disposal place in your area. There are places in many towns to recycle gadgets, and most states have maps that show where they are. If you live in California, for example, the state’s website has a planning tool that lets you look for recycling sites near you. For their free Eco-Cycle Washington program, the Department of Ecology in the state of Washington also has a great tracking tool for recycling centers. You can also use Call2Recycle to find a place near your home to take old electronics.

Find a Best Buy store near you. At most Best Buy shops, you can recycle up to three things per day per family (see the categories on its website for state-specific information and different limits on TVs, computer monitors, and laptops). Also, there are ways to get rid of larger things that are too big to fit in your car. Some of the recycling costs money, but this is usually for bigger things like TVs and laptop computers. You can return batteries, cords, and old phones for free at the shop. Not near a Best Buy store? You can send them your old electronics. They also have a tool that lets you figure out if you can still get money for your old electronics.

Check out what Ridwell is doing to recycle. Ridwell is a relatively new service that comes once a week to pick up things that can’t go to regular trash sites. (If they aren’t already in your city, they probably will be soon.) It’s not hard to figure out how to do it. Ridwell drops off a “Ridwell box” with bags that are labeled for things like “batteries,” “lightbulbs,” “textiles,” “electronics,” or “soft plastics.” When it’s time to pick up your trash, you put the box by the curb and they take everything out.

You can also find out what all that trash has been turned into on their site. Useless plastic bags? They are now on deck. Useless batteries? They have been changed out.

One thing about reusing batteries in general. Old batteries can make sparks. This is less likely to happen with AA or AAA batteries, but the dead 9-Volt battery from your fire alarm that is sitting in your junk drawer could start a fire. Make sure the ends of your 9-V batteries are sealed with tape before you throw them away.