Technology moves fast, which means many capable gadgets go from daily use to trash heap fairly quickly. Unfortunately, many of the components inside of gadgets like monitors, MP3 players and printers are extremely toxic and bad for the environment. While we might have our own ways of recycling old computers, sometimes a gadget has lived through its life cycle. Fortunately, there are many resources for responsibly recycling gadgets, and in some cases you can walk away with extra cash.

Many different brick-and-mortar retailers offer trade in programs, but some are better than others. We found three retailers in particular who will give you money for your gadget, and then either properly dispose of the gadget or resell it. Costco, Sam's Club, and Office Depot will all take trades of notebooks, desktops, portable media players, game consoles, LCD monitors, camcorders, digital cameras, LCD TVs and some cell phones. To start the process, head to any of their websites from the links above, and the company will estimate a potential trade in value for the item. The company will then ask for your shipping address and send you a prepaid shipping label. After that, simply box up and ship your old item, attach the shipping label, and send the item in. Then, after the company receives your item, you'll get a store credit for the trade in value.

Some older items can't be reused, so they simply have to be recycled. CRT style monitors, FAX machines and personal printers won't net you any cash when you bring them in or ship them back, but most of the same brick and mortar retailers will take them off your hands and into a recycling program. If you've got a lot of miscellaneous tech items, Office Depot has a program where the company gives you a box from one of its stores to fill up with all the gadgets you'd like to recycle; just take it back to the store and they take carer of it. However, each box costs up to $15, but is a convenient way to recycle multiple gadgets at once. Other companies, including Costco and Sams Club, will allow free shipment of recycled goods, or will point you to a free drop off location.

Some of the biggest offenders in gadget recycling are cell phones and iPods. Fortunately, Apple has come to the rescue, and offers free recycling of any iPod or cell phone, regardless of manufacturer. Over on Apple.com, the company offers the option to create a pre-paid shipping label right on their site that you can use to box up and send your old cell phone or iPod, or the company will send a prepaid mailer in 7-10 days. Either way, it's an extremely good option for getting rid of cell phones or iPods.

Bigger ticket items like laptops can continue being useful for years, especially when a nerdy person like me has one lying around, but there are some laptop-specific programs online. One such program is TechForward, a company with a few unique ideas about recycling. The company does the standard act of shipping out free boxes users can use to send in recycled items, and the company even gives some cash for specific trades. However, the most unique program the company offers is the Guaranteed Buyback program. Essentially, by paying an up front service fee, the program allows users to know exactly how much to expect when the device is traded in. A student, for example, could purchase a laptop and a Guaranteed Buyback plan, and know at the end of the laptop's life cycle that as long as the item is kept in good condition, the item will fetch a specific amount in one or two years. CompUSA and TigerDirect are both on board with the program.

Lastly, one of the most obvious ways to recycle gadgets is to give them directly to people who need them. Using online resources like Craigslist, people with unwanted gadgets can sell or give away gadgets to people who are looking for them. Also, if you've got extra computers, check in with a local school district to see if the computers could benefit any local schools in the area. While schools likely don't need MP3 players, any other gadget like an old printer or monitor could go a long way.

Hopefully these places can get you started on the road to sustainable living, even with your gadgets. If you've seen a program that's worth mentioning that we left out, be sure to leave a link in the comments and we'll check it out.

[Images: George Hotelling, Peter Kaminski, D'arcy Norman]