How to Do Laptop Recycling

Your trusty laptop served you well, but when it's obsolete or broken, it's time to do laptop recycling. The phrase ecycling refers to recycling electronics, which is a responsible way to discard unwanted laptops so they don't end up in a landfill.

When doing used computer recycling, several steps are important to take to keep your personal information safe from whoever might handle the laptop down the line.

Instructions

1. When doing laptop recycling, it's important to remove all personal information from the computer to protect against identity theft and to ensure your personal files are not available for someone else to access.

   Use a disk wipe program to erase data from your laptop. Ask a reputable salesman or PC technician for what they do to erase their computer's hard drive.

2. Donate the laptop to a thrift store so they can sell the computer. Thrift stores are often affiliated with a non-profit organization. The money they make from selling laptops and other electronics goes to the organization to help the members or group they support.

3. Find a computer recycling center in your area. Many large cities have drop off locations where laptop recycling can happen. The type of recycling at a computer recycling center differs from some other ecycling. Often the laptops are refurbished and donated to individuals or programs in need.

4. Return to the laptop to the manufacturer. Check online at the maker of your laptop to see if they accept computers for ecycling and how to proceed to return the laptop to them.

5. Send the laptop to a computer recycling service. Companies can be found online that recycle electronics, including laptop computers. They break the computer down to the main components, including plastics such as the case, metals such as pieces that hold the insides of the laptop together, precious metals such as those found in motherboards and circuit boards. Each type of component is sent to a recycler of that product to be reused and made into a new product.

   Search the Internet for 'laptop recycling' to find a computer recycling service company that will responsibly recycle your laptop. Some companies will send a box and pay the shipping costs to send the laptop to them for ecycling.