Almost every household in the country has one: the drawer. Two old phones, a tangle of chargers, a laptop that stopped working in 2019, and a tablet nobody has charged since the children outgrew it.
Getting rid of it is not difficult. Getting rid of it safely takes one extra step that most people skip.
First: wipe it. Properly.
Dragging your files to the recycle bin does not remove them. Deleting a file marks the space as available; the data sits there until something overwrites it, and it can be recovered with freely available software.
- Windows laptop or PC: Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC, and choose Remove everything, then the option to clean the drive fully. It takes longer. That is the point.
- Mac: use Erase All Content and Settings.
- iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings. Sign out of iCloud first, or the next owner will hit Activation Lock.
- Android: Settings → System → Reset options → Erase all data. Remove your Google account first.
If the device is dead and you cannot switch it on to wipe it, do not just skip this. Bring it to us and we will remove and destroy or securely wipe the drive.
Where to take it locally
Household recycling centres. Bath & North East Somerset runs sites that accept small electricals, and Somerset Council runs recycling centres across the county. Check current opening times and whether you need to book before you set off — both have changed their arrangements in recent years.
Retailers. Larger electrical retailers are obliged to take back old equipment when you buy a replacement, and many will take small items regardless.
Charities and reuse schemes. A working laptop that is too slow for you may be transformative for someone else. Wipe it first.
Us. We run a WEEE recycling scheme, collecting old and unused electrical equipment, providing asset reports and WEEE certificates, and using certified electronics recycling companies. It is set up for schools and businesses with cupboards full of the stuff, but do talk to us.
You might get money for it
Old devices can often be traded in rather than binned — Apple’s recycling scheme among others — which takes real money off the cost of the replacement. Even a cracked phone usually has value.
And before you recycle it: is it actually finished?
Slow is not the same as dead. A machine that crawls with a mechanical hard drive can be transformed by an SSD, and we use tools such as GoogleFlex to restore and extend the life of older devices. The greenest device is the one you did not need to replace — see our sustainability page, or read how to speed up a slow laptop first.
Got a cupboard full of old kit?
We collect and dispose of redundant equipment through certified recyclers, with asset reports and WEEE certificates. Old devices can often be traded in, too.
Apollo Technology, 1–2 Ludlow Court, Frome Road, Radstock, BA3 3FX. Open weekdays 8.30am–5pm. Call 01761 347198.