Every year, around 1.5 billion smartphones are sold around the world. With so many new phones in people’s possessions, what happens to their old cell phones?
Presumably, they’d either give them to their children or other family members. Or maybe they sell them to recoup costs. Or they throw them away.
But when it comes to disposing of cell phones, you can’t just throw it in the trash. In fact, you shouldn’t do that with any electronics.
Wondering how to dispose of old cell phones and other electronics? Here’s a guide on why you need to do so properly and how.
What to Do Before You Dispose of Your Old Cell Phone
We’re guessing you used your old cell phone quite extensively, which means you have a lot of data stored on there. With today’s technology, it’s easy to transfer all that data from an old smartphone to a new one.
But if you have an older cell phone you want to get rid of and can’t sync it to your new phone, you’ll have to get the data off manually. Connect it to your computer with a micro-USB cord and grab everything you can off of the phone.
Next, you should completely wipe the cell phone, no matter what make or model it is. Usually, there’s an option to factory reset your phone. Before you do this, make certain that everything you need is absolutely off your device; once you hit “factory reset,” there’s no getting it back.
If you can take the back off the phone, then take out the battery. Because most are made of lithium-ion, they need to be disposed of properly.
How to Recycle Lithium-Ion Batteries
First things first: do not throw them into your trash can! When it’s disposed of in landfills, the toxic materials will leech into the environment, which will poison not only you but wildlife as well.
Don’t put them in your recycling bin either. Instead, take them to a recycling center. There, they will take care of the battery disposal for you, as well as disposal of your phone itself.
If you don’t have a recycling center near you, check your local stores. Many of them will function as collection points; look for a sign and bin at the front of the store.
Don’t want to make multiple trips? Then have a designated box in your home for collecting your lithium-ion batteries. Bring it into a collection point or recycling center when it gets full, or do it when you’re running errands and are close by.
What to Do Before You Dispose of Your Other Electronic Devices
If your electronic devices also have sensitive data stored on them, follow similar steps for getting that data off those devices and wipe them as well. You may have to do some research to figure out how to completely rid the devices of your private information.
Then, take the batteries out. You’ll need to recycle the batteries and electronics in the same fashion as with cell phones.
How to Dispose of Old Cell Phones and Electronics Safely
Thankfully, the process isn’t too different from what’s laid out above. Once you’ve taken out the lithium-ion battery, you can take both the batteries and your devices to any collection point or recycling center.
However, you may want to check if the manufacturers of your electronics have mail-back programs. This works in the same way as store collection points, but they’re much more convenient.
Usually, you can log onto the manufacturers’ websites to see if they run such programs. If they do, they have an option to print out a label.
Put your phone or electronic into a box, and make sure the batteries are taken out and placed alongside your devices. Affix the label to the box and put it in your mailbox.
Do note that while this service is free, you’ll have to pay a shipping and handling fee. This will usually be anywhere from $15 to $25. Because of this, it may be a better idea to just drop it off at a collection point, as it’ll be completely free.
Consider Shredding Your E-Waste
With paper documents, you shred them so no one can pick up these papers and gain your sensitive details. But did you know you can do the same with your electronics?
There are e-waste recyclers around the nation that can reduce your bulky electronics into more compact shredded bits. These companies ensure that your electronic waste is disposed of properly as well.
Not only can these shredders tear up your electronics, but they can also sort through the scraps and pick out pieces that can be recycled, such as silver, gold, and aluminum.
By shredding your electronics, not only do you dispose of your electronics accordingly, but you also ensure that no one can recover any sensitive data from your devices. Seeing as they’d be in bits and pieces, it’d be difficult, if not impossible, to recover anything from your electronics.
If you’re interested in learning more about e-waste shredders, then read more from Franklin Miller.
Be Kind to the Earth and Yourself
By knowing how to dispose of old cell phones and other electronics, you can do your part in looking after the planet. While throwing away items with lithium-ion batteries can be easy to do, it’ll only hurt in the long run.
Do the Earth and yourself a favor by taking the time to properly recycle your cell phone and electronics. You’ll be investing in a brighter future if you do.
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