From Guest Blogger Hannah Thomas: Why You Should Never Throw Away Your Old Tech

As the technology evolves, people are becoming more and more tech savvy and the production of new devices is blooming. Nowadays people all around the world, and especially teenagers, change a lot of devices in quite short time periods. There’s an endless range of tech gadgets hitting the market almost on daily basis. People like new things and they discard old gadgets with ease, usually throwing them away. But is this a solution?

Simply throwing the old used electronics in the trash is the worst thing you should do. There are still ways to put it to good use, and even earn some money by doing so. There are some other reasons as well. All electronic devices contain dangerous and toxic substances, as well as a lot of reusable materials. These substances and materials should be dealt with in the proper way in order to keep the potential pollution risks to a minimum.

There are a number of issues you need to take in consideration before just putting the old phone in the garbage bin. We’ve searched the web and we’ve gathered some information that may help you get a better understanding of old tech disposal. So, let’s begin.

What you need to know about old devices

Like we’ve mentioned before, all electronics – PCs, laptops, TVs, cell phones, batteries etc. contain toxic and dangerous chemicals that seriously harmful both to our health and our environment. Batteries have cadmium, laptops house mercury while TV sets contain lead. Improper disposal of such devices may cause those dangerous chemicals to get in the air, soil or water, so their impact can be quite big.

Also, as all of the electronic devices are made to be recycled, there is a lot of reusable material in them. When recycled properly, these materials are reducing the price of the devices and they’re ensuring the top quality. Quite often a lot of device’s components are still fully functional and can be used for repairs or even repurposing. All of this implicates that recycling is the smartest thing for you and the developing world of technology.

Last, but not least of the dangers of improper tech disposal is information theft. As some components on your old laptop or a PC are still operational, once you simply throw it away, anybody with some knowledge may be able to access the information that was on it. Even when you decide to recycle your old devices, make sure you’ve removed all the sensitive data from them, before you do anything else.

What you need to do with old devices

When it comes to old tech – recycling is the way. You shouldn’t have much trouble finding a recycling service near you. There are companies that provide various services and they can explain the entire process to you. Junk removal professionals from Sydney gave us a few tips on what you can do before throwing your old tech away.

Firstly, you need to make sure it really has to go away. Perhaps you don’t need the new phone or a laptop. Perhaps it can be repaired and restored. If the device is still operational, but you got another one, you can always try to sell it or give it as a donation for goodwill. There are also some great tips on how to repurpose your old phones and laptops. Phones can be used as hotspots, old routers can be converted into WiFi repeaters, old computers and laptops can be used for network storage and as servers in your home network. If you are absolutely positive that your device is gone, then you should definitely contact recyclers. If it’s broke, and it can’t be repaired then it should be disposed of in the best possible way.

Conclusion

This guide is here to help you understand that having your old tech managed by a certified electronics recycler means that it will be disposed of properly, and by doing so you’re both helping yourself and the environment and the world we’re living in. As the world’s population grows, so does the production of garbage. Recycling can seriously help us protect our planet, and it will most definitely help with the evolution of technology. Think about your old tech, and make a smart choice.