If you’ve recently upgraded or replaced a broken or slow computer or laptop, you may be wondering what to do with your old one. Most people are aware that they cannot be tossed into the regular trash or a curbside recycling bin. Computers and laptops, along with tablets, and notebooks are considered E-waste and must be recycled properly. E-waste includes anything with a power cord or battery. Electronic waste contains hazardous elements that are harmful to our environment. While e-waste makes up 2% of our landfill waste, it is 70% of our toxic waste, making it vital that we responsibly dispose of our old computers.

Before you can take your computer to be recycled, you will want to be sure you have secured all of your personal information and removed all of the data.

Follow these steps:

1. Backup your Computer-save onto a portable storage device such as an external hard drive or USB

2. Wipe your Hard Drive-this goes beyond simply deleting files, consider a data shredding software program.

3. Wipe External Drives-if any external hard drives or USB are connected they need to be wiped as well.

4. Delete the Browsing History-select history in whatever browser you use and check all the boxes then delete.

5. Uninstall Programs-make sure that all programs are uninstalled. Many software programs secretly save your personal data.

6. Encrypt All your Files-sometimes wiping or deleting is not enough, so encryption is a great defense.

7. Physically Damage your Hard Drive-if you are still very concerned or not convinced on the security of your data, you can physically drill some holes through or smash your hard drives.

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After you bring us your device we can discuss what you would like us to do with it.

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