Teaching Families About The Benefits Of Recycling

Recycling Your Old Laptop? Take These 3 Steps First

If you have an old laptop that's lying around, don't toss the device in the trash or leave it to collect dust. Instead, send it off for recycling. One of the benefits of recycling your old laptop is that it doesn't end up in the local landfill. Not only that, but if you recycle your old laptop, you may make some extra spending cash off of it. However, before you recycle your laptop, make sure you protect your privacy. The last thing you want is for someone to gain access to your vital information from the data you left on your laptop. Here are three steps you can take to protect your privacy when recycling your old laptop.

Have a Backup Plan

If you're upgrading to a new laptop and you're getting rid of your old one, the first thing you need to do is have a good backup plan. You'll need to back up all the files and information that you have stored on your current computer. You might think that storage on the Cloud is sufficient, but that's not actually the case. To make sure you have access to all your files once you start using your new laptop, download them all to a separate thumb drive.

Cancel All Your Apps

If you have apps that you've downloaded onto your laptop, be sure to cancel them. Some apps and add-ons have limits to the number of devices that can be connected. If you leave those apps installed and active on the laptop you're recycling, you may not be able to use them on your new device. Not only that, but if you leave active apps on your old computer, you run the risk that they'll be accessed by someone else. Avoid that risk by canceling and deactivating all add-ons and apps.

Clean Your Hard Drive

If you've decided to clear your computer by sending everything to the recycling bin and clicking on empty, you may want to rethink that decision. Even if you empty your recycling bin, all that information is still floating around in cyberspace, waiting to be collected and used. To make sure that everything is gone, take the necessary steps to clean your hard drive completely. While you're at it, make sure you follow the steps to fully restore your laptop to factory settings. Once you return your laptop to factory settings, nothing of yours will remain on the device.

For more information, contact a local laptop recycling company.