Tech Trash: How to Safely Get Rid of Your Old Electronics
When you’re finished with your gear, or when your gear is finished, what do you do with it? Do you just toss it in the garbage can for next week’s pickup? Bad idea, for you and for the environment. There are several options open to you, and we’ll go into several scenarios and solutions.
If It Still Works
Working devices can serve as an emergency backup device, as long as you store them in a cool spot. You may be able to trade in old devices at Amazon for credit. You might be able to repair them. It’s possible to repurpose working devices into something else. Your phone may work as part of a Virtual Reality headset, you can program it as a media player remote control, or you can use it as a compact media center or a digital photo frame. You can also use it to record sound, make music, play music and podcasts, or as a quick-shot camera.
The obvious choices
Working or not, you may be able to sell them on eBay, offerup, letgo, or similar sites, but be scrupulously honest about the condition. You can donate working items to various charities. Some people get really creative and repurpose them. You could do a trade-in on buybackworld or Decluttr. Finally, you can recycle what is beyond use and repurpose.
Less obvious choices
An old motherboard from a beyond-repair computer can become strips to use as bookmarks. You want to use a rotary drill to cut it, though, so as not to chip the edges. Sand the edges, drill a hole for a ribbon, or laminate. Speaking of laminating, if you have several motherboards, you could remove the non-flush components, laminate them, and use the boards as placemats, or you could cut them down to use for coasters. Make the components you removed into necklaces and earrings for true nerds (like me). I’ve also seen people who have incorporated them into great geeky Christmas decorations, or keyrings, or floor and wall tiles.
What about gear that still works, but you want to sell or give away? Computers, phones, and tablets should all be reset to factory defaults. A factory reset removes your personal information and apps that you’ve installed, and then it’s safe to turn over to someone else.
FOR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS, MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR DATA BACKED UP BEFORE PROCEEDING. THESE METHODS ALL COMPLETELY ERASE THE DATA THAT EXISTS ON THE DEVICE. Check out the post here and the video here.
After your data is backed up, if you’ve been using Apple Music or iTunes, you need to deauthorize your computer from Apple Music. (This isn’t a critical step, but there’s a limit to how many devices you can use with one Apple Music account.) It’s a simple process. From within Apple Music (used to be iTunes, if you haven’t been updating, it’ll say iTunes), go to Account>Authorizations> Deauthorize this Computer.
Protect Your Privacy
Sign out of all accounts you’ve used on the device, but especially accounts that you use on additional devices. It reduces the number of ways an attacker may get into your life if you miss a step below. Unpair any devices you have paired using Bluetooth.
And make sure you take the SIM card out before you dispose of the device. (The new eSIMs will make that unnecessary, but hardware SIMs will be around for a long time yet.)
Factory Reset
A factory reset takes the device to a state that would resemble a fresh-out-of-the-box experience. If you’ve done operating system updates, phones and tablets won’t go back quite to “factory fresh,” they’ll maintain the latest operating system. The process erases any reference to your use of it.
For iPhones and iPads, you can either use iTunes (Apple Music) or not. First synchronize with iTunes or back up to your cloud account. If you’re using iTunes, at the front page of the device’s interface with iTunes, select restore factory defaults. It may have different wording, but you want to look for “reset” or “factory default.” That takes off all your personal information and any apps you’ve added, it takes the operating system just like it was out of the box, except with the most current operating system updates you’ve added. If you don’t want to use iTunes, go to Settings> General > Transfer or Reset. Next, choose Erase All Content and Settings to erase all the data and factory reset your iPhone.
For Android phones and tablets, the reset process happens right on the device, within the Settings app. Go to Settings > Personal > Factory Reset.
Factory Resetting Computers
Some computers have a special partition on the hard drive set aside so that the computer can be reset to factory defaults. In fact, nowadays it’s the common practice instead of providing a DVD with installation media. The exception to this may be if your computer was custom built. If you can’t find the service partition or installation partition (you can usually search for it on the web, and there are way too many different combinations of computers to list all the possible instructions here), you can use software to securely erase the hard drive before you dispose of it. There is a utility called DiskPart that can help you find the service partition, but unless you’re familiar with the utility, your best bet may be having a service shop help you with a factory reset.
MacOS
Before you get started, disable FileVault if you’ve been using it. All Apple computers used to come with an installation disk. If your computer originally came with 10.6 or earlier, it did. You can boot from that by listening for the chime, then immediately holding the Option key. You’ll see a choice of booting from the hard disk or the DVD; choose DVD. Once the installer has loaded, you’ll see an Installation screen. Instead of moving on with that, go into Utilities (on the menu at the top of the screen), and select Disk Utility. Select your hard drive from the list in the left column, select the erase tab, and select Mac OS Extended for the format. You’ll see a button that says “Security Options.” You can choose not to erase, to Zero out the data, you can choose a 7-pass erase, and a 35-pass erase. For most users, zeroing out the data is sufficient. When that has finished, you can then reinstall the operating system. If you were just reinstalling the operating system for yourself, you wouldn’t need to wipe it. But if you’re disposing of the computer in some way, you want all your data destroyed or overwritten so that there will be absolutely no chance of someone else getting to it.
MacOS with Recovery Partition
If your Mac originally came with OS X 10.7 or higher, it has a recovery partition. To wipe the drive, restart the computer, and as soon as you hear the chime, hold down the Option key. At the boot option screen, select Recovery. You’ll select your language, and you’ll see the options to restore from a backup, reinstall the operating system, get help, or Disk Utility. Remember, if you were just reinstalling it for yourself, you would select Reinstall. But if you are disposing of it, you need to go into the Disk Utility and select the Erase tab, select format like above, take the security options and do your zero-erase. If you are using a Solid State Disk, you probably won’t see Security Options, because SSD’s are supposed to be difficult enough to recover data from after a reinstall. When the disk utility process completes, reinstall the operating system.
What About Printers?
Large office printers have hard drives. If you’ve purchased one for your home office, before you dispose of it, you need to find the instructions for clearing the hard drive. If you have a higher-end home printer, that may also have a hard drive. You need to search for that information. Start with the manufacturer’s website, or call their customer service number. A printer with a hard drive has data on it, so you want that cleared out before you dispose of the printer. Most consumer-grade home printers do not have hard drives that store data.
If It Doesn’t Work Anymore
A dead hard drive may seem like it has taken care of itself with regard to making your data irretrievable. That’s not the case, though. Someone who is seriously determined to get your data can get it even from a hard drive that won’t spin up. It’s a hassle and it’s sometimes pretty expensive, but if someone has access to the equipment, they can learn enough about you from a dead hard drive to steal your identity. If you have a hard drive that won’t spin up, destroy the drive. I’ve heard of people using them for target practice, drilling through the entire case several times, hammering them beyond recognition (any hammer on a concrete or stone surface will do the trick, and make sure you can hear things jingling around when you shake it), running over them repeatedly with tracked vehicles (not just everyone will have access to tracked vehicles). Or, if you can find the tools to do so, and it’s not all that hard but not everyone has star-shaped screwdrivers, you can take the hard drive apart. Spinning, or mechanical, drives, have super-strong magnets inside that are probably more powerful than any other magnets you have in your house. It can be fun to play with these, but don’t let small children have two at a time. They can pinch you, and break the skin of an adult. But you can keep one handy in your shop so that you always have a way to magnetize a screwdriver.
How To Throw It Away
Tech gear shouldn’t go to a landfill. Electronic components are made with heavy metals and chemicals that can leak out into the surrounding groundwater. You should find a recycler and take the goods there, if possible, because most components can be reused. You can find a list of drop-off points near you and what the location can accept at call2recycle.org. Another resource is earth911.com. Most communities have periodic electronics recycling days where you can take your electronics there for free. Also, some retailers and manufacturers have their own recycling programs, and some don’t care where you bought it, or even if you’re buying a replacement from them. Programs change over time, so a search on “Where can I recycle an old computer” will provide current information. Unfortunately, outside of those options, you may have to pay to recycle your electronics. It’s not a great solution, but until electronics recycling becomes more ubiquitous, it’s what we have.
Your Turn
What are some creative ways you’ve disposed of tech gear, other than just throwing it in the trash? Seriously, I need to know. I have an embarrassingly large pile of tech junk I need to find homes for.
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