7 Cool Ideas For Repurposing Your Old Phone Case

One of the few downsides of keeping your iPhone or Android protected from drops and shocks with a phone case is that eventually, you buy a new phone. And that means you’ll eventually wind up having a technically functional but totally phoneless case on your hands. It seems like a waste to just throw the case in the garbage, not to mention how bad it is for our environment. 

So what are some ways that we can keep phone cases out of the local garbage dump and instead still get some utility out of them? Are there uses for old phone cases that might end up serving us even longer than they did to protect our phones?

Recycling Your Old Phone Case

The unfortunate truth is, most municipal recycling programs don’t accept old phone cases for recycling, as their recycling equipment can’t as efficiently process the plastics and rubber compounds. There can also be metals and silicones in phone cases that aren’t as easily recyclable. Luckily, companies do exist that provide recycling of old phone cases.

TerraCycle

TerraCycle has the mission of “recycling everything,” which they are working to accomplish in partnership with the phone holder company PopSockets. They make the phone case recycling process as simple as possible by providing you with a free mailing label to ship your phone case. Cases can be from any brand, and they can even have a PopSocket attached to them. You can also send in your old PopSockets for recycling as well.

Sell Your Used Phone Case

If the phone you just upgraded from is still only a generation or two old, there are likely to be still thousands of people using that phone model. These are potential buyers of your old phone case, which can help offset the cost of your new phone case. This is especially helpful if you typically buy heavy-duty cases like Rokform’s Rugged Case, which stay looking good with years of use because of their durable construction.

When you want to sell your old phone case, your best bet these days is using Facebook Marketplace or eBay to quickly list your case and connect with thousands of potential buyers. Phone cases are lightweight and thin, so they can be easily and inexpensively shipped, opening up your market to buyers across the United States, so be sure to set your listing for everywhere you’re willing to ship for the best possible sales price.

Donate Your Gently Used Phone Case

If you are less concerned about earning back a portion of your phone case investment when you upgrade to a new phone and care more about it still being used as a phone case, you can always donate it. Many charitable organizations such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army happily accept donations of gently used phone cases. Even if you have old phone cases laying around that fit phones many generations old, there could still be folks who can get some use out of these cases if they could find them in a Goodwill to purchase. Donating your old case not only keeps non-biodegradable materials out of the environment, but it can also help less fortunate people.

11 Cool Ideas For Repurposing Your Old Phone Case

1. Use your old phone case as a fun soap dish in your children’s bathroom. Some cases may even have rubberized or silicone backs, which can keep them from slipping around on bathroom sinks.
2. Repurpose your old phone case as a sponge holder on your kitchen sink top or as a tray when using a sponge to clean around the house, so you don’t get other surfaces damp.
3. Old phone cases make a perfect little tray to store small jewelry items like rings and earrings around the house while staying in a hotel or camping.
4. Reuse your old phone case as a bedside change dish while traveling abroad.
5. Transform your phone case into a pocket-sized notepad with a pen by attaching a sticky notepad on the inside of the case and fixing the pen with some adhesive-backed hook and loop dots or permanent tape.
6. You can place votive candles on old phone cases to protect the tops of furniture and keep the candles neat and organized, along with easier transport from room to room in a power outage.
7. While working on a motorcycle or mountain bike in a gravel parking lot, you can use an old phone case as a tray for keeping small nuts and bolts organized and their threads free from grit and dirt.
8. Taking apart items with tiny screws can be far too tedious for bare tabletops. Keep those small parts corralled using an old phone case lying upside down on the table.
9. Find some drinking glasses that match the size of your old phone cases when turned upside down, and use the cases as coasters to keep your tabletops free from unsightly condensation rings.
10. Use the open camera hole in an old phone case and zip-tie it to your luggage to make it easier to identify on the belt at the baggage claim. You can even glue on a business card or tag with your contact information, making it easier to track you down in the event your luggage gets lost.
11. Are you someone who loves to cook and often has numerous spoons for mixing and stirring on the counter? Use an old phone case to rest utensils on, so they don’t dirty your countertops.

However you choose to recycle, sell, donate, or repurpose your old phone case when you upgrade your iPhone or Android smartphone, Rokform has you covered with a new case that will protect your investment in the latest phone tech available. 

If you enjoy a sleek minimalist feel while keeping your phone in your pants pocket, the Rokform Crystal Case is the perfect case to protect your phone without adding too much bulk to its exterior. When you demand rough and tumble protection, our Rugged Case is your best bet for keeping your new phone safe from drops and shocks.