UK households accumulate tech by upgrading their smartphones, tablets, TVs and laptops each year. More often than not, these old devices will be placed in boxes or the attic and forgotten. As long as you’re doing a spring cleaning every year, why not do a decluttering as well? You can get rid of excess tech and earn some quids when all is said and done.
Collect and Select
The first step to decluttering is to efficiently gather up all old items and put them in a giant pile.
Go through rooms, the attic, shed and garage and collect old mp3 players, cell phones, remotes and whatnot. Make a decision on each item- do you still need it, or should it be disposed?
Pair up the wires and cables with the corresponding gadgets so you’ll have an easier time later.
Storage Media
Got some DVDs, CDs and floppy disks or old hard drives that you’d like to dispose? Run them through a computer first and see what they contain. Keep the ones that have sentimental value, e.g., pictures or videos and dispose of redundant stuff such as PC disks and hardware installers.
Phones, Tablets and Laptops
Carefully go through each item and power them up and see if they still work. Can they still make calls, browse the internet or play music? Choose what you want to keep and which ones you want to dispose.
Wires and Adapters
Spare chargers and wires that don’t have the corresponding hardware should be disposed. For the more useful ones such as micro USB and USB wires, test them out and see if they still work. Then, tag a helpful label that tells you what it’s for, e.g., Dad’s iPhone X or something similar.
Other Equipment
Have ancient items such as CRT monitors, tablets, stands, TVs or antique projectors? Take out the batteries and do a factory reset (if possible), then you can choose to send to a nearby recycling shop or donate to a charitable institution.
How Should You Dispose?
Once everything’s sorted, you will have tech you want to keep and the others you want to dispose of.
De-cluttering should always be done in a sustainable manner. The first order is to recycle or reuse, so it won’t end up polluting the environment and leaching poisonous toxins to drinking supplies.
For instance, you can do the following:
Donate To The Community
Your old gadgets may seem dated to you, but to others they’re shiny new objects. If you have a favorite relative or someone you can give your smartphone to, great. You can customize the gift by adding in a subscription to a music or video app, load it up with songs and e-books or some games. Make sure it comes with the cable, plug and accessories.
Old stuff such as CRT monitors and TVs can be given to schools, hospitals and animal shelters, and they’ll make use of it as long as it’s working. You get to help the staff and their customers and be one device lighter afterwards.
Sell Your Old Tech Goods For Cash
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
This adage applies even when you’re about to declutter your house of old gadgets. How do you make money online? Easy. Take a quick photo of the gadget using your smart phone, upload it to an online marketplace and a description of its condition. When the price is right, an offer will come along, and you can sell your goods for cash.
There are helpful sites to recycle smartphones, tablets, and other items giving you cash in exchange for your secondhand device. Complete the online quote then wait for the recycling pack, send it back with your old tech and receive the money 2-3 days after they receive your gadgets.
Recycle
Major electronics manufacturers such as HP, Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Lenovo will have recycling centers and programs where you can send in unwanted stuff. Sometimes they’ll have buyback programs where you’re given a certain amount of in-store credit or gift cards for tech you bring in.
These companies will be the ones responsible for recycling the item. For instance, they can repair it and sell it as refurbished or harvest it for parts to make up a new gadget. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your old stuff won’t end up in landfills and become part of the e-waste problem.
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