5 innovative Ways of Disposing Your Old Gadgets

It’s often difficult to resist the urge to acquire the newest and most advanced cell phones, television sets, laptops, headsets, and speakers. While personal motives may drive some people—wanting to show off or feel good about themselves—for others, especially businesses, acquiring these devices is imperative. You may want to provide your business with a competitive edge by staying up-to-date with technology.

Nevertheless, the big question is, where do you take your old devices?

Electronic wastes (e-waste) have become a modern-day menace. With a disturbing 50M tons of e-waste making their way to landfills, there hasn’t been a better time to learn how to recycle and reuse your tech products. The solution is relatively simple!

Where Do E-waste Materials Go?

All e-waster consists of poisonous substances such as brominated flame retardants, cadmium, mercury, lead, and beryllium. Thus, improper electronics disposal increases the risk of harmful chemicals contaminating soil, air, and water sources.

When businesses dump e-waste in a landfill, it leaches trace metals as the landfill water runs through it. When such water enters natural groundwater, it can contaminate drinking water sources, causing wildlife death or affecting human health.

It is worth noting that despite its eco-friendly nature, recycling typically involves international shipping and burying electronic devices in pits. What’s worse is that some recycling companies export e-waste to developing countries and call it philanthropy.

Most children in these nations make a living by scavenging copper, gold, silver, and iron from hazardous e-waste, which often jeopardizes their health. Countries that serve as dumping grounds typically have a high rate of cybercrime, as discarded hard drives can provide hackers with immediate access to your private files and information.

Indeed, the impacts of improper disposal of e-waste are pretty profound, calling for more innovative ways of disposal. And so, we took the liberty of discussing some of the most environmentally-friendly ways of e-waste disposal.

5 Eco-friendly Ways of E-waste Disposal

Sell Old Tech

Even if your technology is obsolete, you can still sell it and make decent money. This is among the best choices for defraying the costs of new technology or simply disposing of old rubbish.

There are numerous ways to sell it. Some retailers, such as Apple and Amazon, often return their stock. These two companies have sponsored recycling programs to sell reconditioned products to bargain hunters. They also have an exchange program whereby they accept your old devices in exchange for a discount on your new purchase when you purchase a newer model.

You may also sell used equipment online through sites like Craigslist and eBay. Nevertheless, be cautious of common scams to ensure you get paid.

Furthermore, other companies take your stuff and resell them. Although this is a terrific idea, you’ll make less money than if you sold your devices yourself. The latter choice is preferable for many business owners due to the increased convenience.

Help a Cause

If making money is not your goal, perhaps helping out a good cause may be more of your style. Even though your devices may be old or ‘useless’ (to you), they can serve essential roles in several organizations.

Nevertheless, before going on this route, consider these two questions:

• Is the technological device ok?
• Does the device contain any private information?

Most of these organizations have lists of donation programs for your choosing.

Typically, shelters for victims of domestic violence gather old laptops and phones to replace victims’ left behind technology or facilitate more safe and private contact. Also, many institutions, after-school services, and religious organizations have basic programs running on older machines.

It is important to note that some charitable contributions may be tax-deductible; hence, being generous may be financially beneficial.

Be environmentally friendly

If your device is too broken or outdated to donate or sell, get rid of it in an environmentally responsible manner. Deliver it to a qualified recycler of e-waste. Fortunately, several groups accept the most obsolete gadgets for disposal.

Most local Goodwill organizations accept donated equipment and collaborate with computer manufacturing businesses to recycle unsellable equipment.

Best Buy is an alternative option for a retailer of electrical goods; they usually take almost every device. Other resources include other businesses and possibly even your homegrown recycling and garbage collection services.

If you have a question about what recycling businesses are available in your area, visit earth911. This is an excellent site for recycling. Ensure that your selected agency knows how to dispose of your devices correctly.

Visit Municipal Establishments

Please inquire with your schools, governments, or universities about any recycling programs they may provide. Many institutions have begun assigning a particular day and location for environmentally aware residents to bring their e-waste for disposal.

Find Drop-Off Locations

Several recycling firms have established electronic drop-off programs and drop-off locations for products like tablets and cellphones, which are then recycled. You can inquire at local electronics stores for information about drop-off locations.

Careful Handling of Electronics Before Donation or Recycling

Remove your device’s batteries

Some individuals think that tossing away a few batteries is not a huge deal; however, it comes with long-lasting effects. When people dump batteries in landfills, they can pollute the environment with lead, arsenic, and other poisons.

Some localities have particular programs for recycling batteries during regular garbage collection, while others have designated drop-off days for disposing of dangerous home products such as batteries and paint.

Cancel or Transfer All Subscription

Don’t forget to transfer software subscriptions or any other subscription when you donate your old computers. Currently, machine-specific licenses are more prevalent for products such as Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office 365 that need users to log in.

Thus, be sure to cancel any subscriptions on your old devices so that you can reinstate them on your new gadgets and keep all of your necessary programs.

Format Your Private Data

Delete all information stored on your items before selling, donating, or disposing of them. This will safeguard your information from people who might use it for malicious purposes. Many organizations that offer reconditioned goods claim they will wipe your data, but you should do it yourself for your peace of mind.

This is especially important if you’re selling the equipment yourself or donating them to a recycling agency. You would never want your information to end up in the wrong!