Getting rid of an old computer or phone at home

Reuse first

If it still works, it’s worth more in use. Repair it, sell it, pass it on, or donate it to a charity that refurbishes devices for people who need them — some charities also recycle or sell what they can’t reuse to raise funds. See companies and charities that take donations, or search near you.

Free ways to recycle

• Shops take back old electricals. Anyone selling electrical equipment must offer a free way to get rid of your old item when you buy a new one of the same type — in store, online or by mail order, whatever the brand. You get at least 28 days to bring the old one in. Shops can charge if they collect from your home.
• Big shops take small items for free. Shops with more than 400 m² of electrical sales space must take back very small electricals (under 25 cm on the longest side) from anyone, free, without you buying anything — unless they belong to the Distributor Take Back Scheme or have an approved alternative.
• Council recycling centres (“the tip”) take household electricals, and some councils collect bulky or special items. Find your council.
• Recycle Your Electricals has a locator for repair, donation and recycling points near you.

Use someone who’s allowed to take it

Households have a duty of care too. If you pay a private business — a house clearance firm, or a “free laptop collection” van — to take things away, check that it is a registered waste carrier. In England a business should be registered as upper tier (a number starting CBDU); charities collecting items are usually registered as lower tier. You can check on the Environment Agency register. If you give your waste to someone who isn’t allowed to take it and it is later fly-tipped, you can be fined or prosecuted.

Wipe your data first

For phones and tablets, the NCSC suggests these steps:

1. Back up anything you want to keep.
2. Make sure you know the passwords for any accounts the device signs into automatically.
3. Move two-factor authentication apps, and control of any smart-home devices, to another device.
4. Use “Erase all content and settings” or “Factory reset”.
5. Don’t choose any option to keep your files.
6. Take out the SIM card and any memory card.

For computers and laptops, the ICO describes four options:

• physically destroying the hard drive
• secure deletion software that overwrites the data (it doesn’t work on write-once discs)
• a factory reset — which relies on the maker having built in secure wiping
• sending it to a specialist: check how they do it, and ideally reset it yourself first.

A quick format isn’t enough: data can be recovered with free tools. Don’t forget USB sticks, SD cards and anything stored in the cloud (ask your cloud provider about that). A device that won’t switch on may still hold readable data.

Take the batteries out

If your laptop’s battery comes out, remove it and recycle it separately. Batteries mixed in with other recycling can start fires.

Sources

1. GOV.UK: Electrical waste — retailer and distributor responsibilities (take back waste in store)
2. GOV.UK: Electrical waste — join the Distributor Take Back Scheme
3. GOV.UK: Dispose of household waste
4. Defra: Waste duty of care code of practice, section 5
5. NCSC: Buying and selling second-hand devices
6. ICO: Deleting your data from computers, laptops and other devices
7. Recycle Your Electricals: recycling laptops and computers
8. ICO news, 19 Dec 2024: 14 million people don’t know how to erase their data from an old device

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — check with the regulator or an adviser for your situation.