How do I sell or recycle old technology responsibly?

Old technology is worth more than people expect and carries more personal data than they remember, so the order of operations matters.

Safety

Step by step

1. Back up first.Everything you want to keep, verified by opening a file from the backup. Once a device is wiped, it is gone.
2. Sign out of accounts before resetting.Apple ID, Google, Microsoft, Samsung. This releases the activation lock. A reset device still tied to an account is useless to a buyer and often refused by recyclers.
3. Turn off Find My or Find My Device.The specific setting that locks the device to you. Do this before the reset, not after — afterwards it needs your password anyway.
4. Check encryption before trusting a reset.Modern phones and laptops encrypt by default, so a reset makes the data unrecoverable. Older unencrypted devices may not, so turn encryption on first, then reset.
5. Remove SIM and memory cards.They hold data and are easily forgotten. Take them out physically.
6. Deauthorise licensed software.Some software ties licences to a machine. Deactivate before wiping or you may lose an activation.
7. Sell what works.Phones, tablets and laptops hold real value. Trade-in schemes are convenient and pay less; private sale pays more and takes longer. Include chargers and the box.
8. Use retailer take-back for the rest.Retailers selling electricals must take an equivalent old item when you buy new, and larger stores often take small items regardless. It is free and rarely advertised.
9. Use a household waste site for anything else.They have a small electricals point and a separate battery point. Both free, and it keeps the materials in the recycling stream.
10. Never bin batteries or anything containing one.Lithium cells ignite when crushed and cause hundreds of fires a year in collection vehicles. This includes anything with a sealed internal battery.
11. Tape battery terminals for transport.Clear tape over the contacts of loose batteries. Terminals touching in a container is a common ignition cause.
12. Consider donating.Schools, community groups, refugee charities and digital inclusion schemes take working devices. Wipe them exactly as thoroughly as for a sale.
13. Destroy drives you will not release.For a drive holding genuinely sensitive material, physical destruction is the certain answer. Household waste sites accept the remains.

Tips

• Sign out of accounts before you reset. Doing it in the wrong order means doing it twice.
• Retailers must take an old item when you buy new. Ask at the counter — it is rarely mentioned.
• Tape the terminals of loose batteries. Seconds, and it is the simplest fire prevention there is.

Common mistakes

• Resetting without signing out first — The activation lock stays on, so the device cannot be set up by anyone else and is commonly returned or refused.
• Putting a device with a sealed battery in kerbside recycling — Lithium cells ignite when crushed. They cause hundreds of fires a year in bin lorries and sorting facilities.

If it doesn't work