ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) — People toss millions of old phones in the trash or recycling bin after they find out it’s not worth anything but you can reuse them.

If you have a Roku or FireTV stick, an old phone or tablet makes good remote controls. If the phone still connects to WiFi, just download the app and connect it to your streaming device.

Turn an old iPad into a digital picture frame. You can do this with a phone too but the larger screen on an iPad is perfect for displaying photos and videos.

Add photos from any phone to a shared album and on the iPad, set it to “slideshow.”

If you love listening to music at the gym but hate getting interrupted by calls and texts, load music on an old phone instead.

You can also use an old phone as an emergency home phone. Plug it in somewhere and it’s always ready to make a call to 9-1-1. A great idea if you have young children in the house who don’t have cell phones.

If the phone can connect to WiFi, download the app Alfred and use the phone as a security or nanny cam. Just plug it in and aim it at a door. When you’re away from home, the Alfred app will send a text and live video if it detects movement. If you have several old phones you can have an entire house covered by free security cameras.

The challenge you may face is remembering the passcode that unlocks the phone. You have changed that in the last ten years, haven’t you?

You can also pass your smartphone down to a child or give it to another family member for emergency use. Anything that means recycling old phones and not throwing them.

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