If they took it at their store, fine. If they want me to take an hour to go print a label (I don't have a printer), and then another hour to package it up and ship it. I'll pass.

They also say to erase the data before shipping it - which I can't do.

As another commenter put that I also agree with:

You being unwilling to spend the barest amount of effort to recycle it is your problem, not Apple's.

sounds to me like a you problem.

That's mostly my conclusion, unfortunately, also. There is also some nonzero culpability of cost of time-money-hassle Apple and local municipalities shift onto the owner too.