The stores will accept both functioning and non-functioning products. For products that are no longer working, the customer will not be receiving anything for it, but for those who are sending in old but still usable products, they will be given a gift card which presumably can be used towards newer purchases (we’re not sure if the gift cards can be used on iTunes or just the Apple Store).
The goal is to help reduce the amount of toxins from seeping into the soil or groundwater, which is what might happen if old products were just tossed aside on the landfills or left outside in public areas. The program will see assistance from PowerON and in a statement made by Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environmental Initiatives, “What the company wants to do is use all our innovation and all of our expertise to make the planet more secure and make the environment better.”
In the meantime if you’d like to learn more about Apple’s recycling efforts, you can head on over to Apple’s website where you will be able to watch a video narrated by Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook.