Have you ever noticed that over the years, your house or apartment seems to get a bit cluttered with old electronic items you don’t need anymore? Laptops, cell phones, printers, battery chargers, wires, keyboards, and the like all take up a lot of room and don’t actually serve a purpose.
Why don’t we get rid of them? Often, it’s because we have some vague sense that it’s bad to throw these things in the garbage (it is), or because we don’t want anyone to find those items later and steal our personal data. That’s a very real concern.
So, if the problem is that we can’t leave these things in our homes and don’t feel good about throwing them away, what do we do with them once they have worn out their use?
Here are three things to do with your unwanted electronics.
Recycle Them
Recycling is never a bad thing, and it applies to old electronics, too. You may not have known this, but there’s a sizable market for taking in people’s unwanted electronics and disposing of them in safe ways.
These e-waste recyclers quote you a price on hauling away your stuff and then take ownership of it. After that, they extract the useful parts that they can and enter them back into the manufacturing stream. Your personal data, such as hard drives, is destroyed by wiping and shredding, so it will never see the light of day again.
E-waste recycling is a safe and efficient way to dispose of electronics.
Donate Them
If you know how to wipe personal data from devices yourself, you can also get rid of your electronics by donating them to charities or just any organization that could use them.
Did you recently upgrade your printer? Are you suddenly left with your outdated but still operational one? Give it away to someone else. The same applies to a smartphone, laptop, or charger. Why waste something when you could clear your house at the same time you’re helping someone else?
The people who will be receiving your stuff will probably greatly appreciate it!
Trade Them In
Finally, you can see if you’re able to bring your old electronics into retail stores in your area to trade them in. If they buy and sell used electronic goods, they are probably always looking for gently used items that they can fix up and resell.
This is a good chance to get rid of your electronics, make some money yourself, and, best of all, keep some hazardous components out of the environment, where they could do serious harm.
We hope you consider one or a few of these methods yourself when considering how to clear your old electronics out of your home.
You’ll appreciate your newfound space and the knowledge that you did not contribute to the continued pollution of the Earth through landfills. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.