Hey Geeks, it’s Earth month! So, to celebrate the planet we live on, we’re going to focus on how you can get rid of your old tech eco-consciously.
With technology constantly improving, we’re going to be tempted with new and more advanced products and gadgets. And, who doesn’t want to have the best of something, right? However, when it comes to throwing our old tech away it becomes a little confusing… and in the end, a lot of us are guilty of taking the easiest route of chucking it in the rubbish bin! But there is a plethora of other ways you can get rid of your old tech! And, they can be just as easy while also caring for the Earth!
Firstly, let’s talk about where your electronic waste goes when you opt to chuck it in the bin.
Electronic waste is made up of nasty chemicals such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants.
When you improperly get rid of your old tech in the rubbish bin, the e-waste is unloaded into a landfill. Once deposited into a landfill, there is a high chance that the dangerous chemicals produced by your old tech will contaminate the soil, pollute the air, and even leach into water bodies.
Ultimately this is damaging for the environment and people too! Especially if contaminated water bodies manage to leach into your drinking water!
But on a lighter note, let’s look at what alternative disposal options we have instead of the rubbish bin!
Using an E-Waste Recycler
Getting rid of your old tech through an e-waste recycler is a responsible way to dispose of your electronic devices that are no longer useful or functional.
This is because e-waste recyclers have the expertise and equipment to handle the disposal of your old tech. Plus they can do it safely and sustainably! As well as disposing of tech, e-waste recyclers can also extract valuable materials from old devices, such as metals and plastics. These materials can then be reused in the construction of new products! This reduces the need for mining new raw materials, conserves energy, and ultimately reduces greenhouse emissions!
An important thing to consider before deciding where to send your old tech, is that different e-waste recyclers accept different types of electronic waste. So, be sure to pre-emptively check that a recycler accepts the type of tech you want to dispose of!
At Geeks on Wheels, we offer an e-waste recycling service add-on. For bookings in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch, and Wellington. For a small fee we can help remove the hassle of hanging onto old technology by recycling it efficiently and professionally! *
Trading your old tech in
There are many reputable tech retailers or services that have trade-in services for your old tech. Usually, they will give you some form of credit in return. That is, of course, depending on the terms and conditions of the offer itself and the device and its condition.
This option eliminates devices unnecessarily ending up in a landfill and ultimately contributing to pollution. Instead, you can rest easy knowing it’ll be sold at a discounted price to someone who really needs it!
Before you bring in your tech to trade, make sure any photos, videos or sensitive information is backed up and removed from the device. Whether that’s through an external hard drive, a cloud storage service such as iCloud or a network-attached storage (NAS).
At Geeks on Wheels our expert technicians can assist in backing up or recovering your data. So, if you feel you might need help, just Book A Geek today!
Also, depending on your old device and its condition, as a booking add-on you may even be able to do a trade-in at Geeks on Wheels. This is where we would repair and re-sell it as a pre-owned device. *
Reselling or handing it down
When we upgrade to newer models of tech our old gadgets aren’t necessarily useless. As they say, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure! So, another environmentally friendly way to get rid of old tech, is by re-selling it or simply handing it down!
If you aren’t really concerned about making money off your old tech, a cool and hassle-free option is to hand it down! Whether that’s handing it down to a family member, friend, work colleague or whomever you know would benefit from it.
If you aren’t wanted to give away your old tech for free, there are reputable online buying and selling sites where you can easily list it for sale. Such as Facebook Market Place and Trade Me.
Whatever route you take, it’s important to make sure you clear all of your personal data off the device to protect your private information from being seen by others. You can do this by factory resetting your device or wiping data from your hard drive!
If you’re unsure where to even begin when it comes to clearing data off your old tech, just Book a Geek today and we can assist you through the process and even suggest solutions for backing up your data.
And there you have it! 3 ways you can responsibly and eco-consciously to rid of your old tech! Now you can relax and enjoy your new tech, knowing that your old tech is NOT doing damage to the planet. Well done, Eco Warrior!
* Both our e-waste service and trade-in service is only available as an add-on to pre-existing appointments.