Jobs' Mob was furious that 100,000 of the phones were actually resold to other companies that made working devices from the parts. 

Apple has sued the recycling company for the money made from the sale plus 31 million Canadian dollars. However the recycling company claims that the devices were resold by three rogue employees that pocketed the profits.

The re-sold devices included iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, according to news reports, and though they were being re-sold in China, Apple still complains that at least 18 percent of the devices they'd shipped to the company they later found active on wireless carrier networks.

If that is the case you have to question how serious Apple is about recycling if it is trashing perfectly usable or repairable devices.

Apple also says the re-sales dampened demand for new Apple products, hurt their brand by keeping products intended for destruction out on the market — and created a safety issue for consumers.