I recently recycled an older MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) that I hadn’t used in years at Apple Marunouchi. This was actually my very first Mac, which I bought at the end of 2011 and started using on January 2nd the following year.
Before this, I was using a Windows PC, specifically a Dell tower running Windows Vista, if I remember correctly. Since I’d been using Windows for so long, I was a bit anxious about switching to a Mac. To prepare, I watched transition videos on Apple’s website, which were aimed at Windows users moving to Mac. At the time, I even considered using Windows and Mac side-by-side for a while.
However, once I got started, I quickly found myself using only the Mac. After about six months without even powering on my Windows machine, I decided it was time to recycle it, officially becoming a full-time Mac user with the MacBook Pro.
Eventually, the 2011 model became unsupported by macOS updates, so I upgraded to the 2018 model. This MacBook just barely made it into the most recent macOS support, prompting me to upgrade to the 2022 M2 Pro model.
I sold the 2018 model to Bic Camera’s buyback service, which gave me about 60,000 yen. Apple’s trade-in program estimated only about 30,000 yen, so I felt I got a pretty good deal.
Now it was time to recycle the 2011 model, which had actually stopped powering on right before I bought the 2018 one. Since it no longer worked, reselling wasn’t an option, and after more than a decade, I doubted it had any resale value anyway. And while it was my first Mac, I didn’t see much point in keeping it around as a memento.
Apple has a recycling program that complies with Japan’s Act on Promotion of Resource Recycling for Electrical and Electronic Equipment, requiring companies to collect and recycle their devices. Previously, I think there was a restriction on items without a recycling mark, but now they collect all computers “regardless of whether they have a recycling mark.”
This law mandates that manufacturers like Apple are responsible for recycling old computers. They offer a mail-in recycling service, but since I didn’t have any boxes on hand, I decided to take it to my nearest Apple Store.
At Apple Marunouchi, I mentioned that I was there to recycle my old Mac, and they promptly assisted me. They explained that everything would be disassembled, so there was no risk of my data being accessible or reused in any form.
The process took only a few minutes, and I was able to finally part with my non-functional Mac, completing its journey.
