Reusing or donating your old tech
NOT ALL SPARE TECH IS WORTH SELLING, BUT IT CAN STILL BE USEFUL IN OTHER WAYS.
First things first: whether you’re repurposing, donating, recycling or even just throwing an old device away, it’s important to follow the advice in previous pages about clearing off all sensitive or personal data. While not especially common, risks such as identity theft or gaining access to online banking are worth making extra efforts to avoid.
REPURPOSING TECH
There are countless useful and fun projects for pretty much any spare tech, even if it’s damaged or obsolete. Computers and laptops make great media servers, DIY NAS boxes, retro gaming machines and more, using free online tools and software. They are also full of handy spare parts. Smartphones can be repurposed into IP Cameras, media streamers, eBook readers, GPS trackers and more with a range of free apps.
DONATING TECH
The simplest option is to pass that spare device onto family members and friends. You might not be happy with an older Nexus 5 anymore, but it has plenty of life left in it being used by a younger cousin, or less tech-focused friend.
Alternatively, there are various programs that aim to take good condition tech and get it into the hands of the less fortunate. This can be a great way to ensure your devices get a second chance at being productive, while also helping people out. While working tech is best, even older items such as phones, tablets and laptops are still sought after as donations. A good place to start is Give Now ( www. givenow.com.au), which refurbishes your old tech for the community or individuals to use. Organisations within Technical Aid to the Disabled Australia ( www.tadaustralia.org.au) also accept technology donations.
RECYCLING
Don’t just toss than old broken phone in the bin — it’s full of metals and various toxic substances that are better to be recycled than ending up in landfill. Many manufacturers have their own recycling programs, but Mobile Muster ( www.mobilemuster.com.au) and Clean Up Australia ( www.cleanup.org.au) are the best choices for your mobile devices. For larger tech, the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme has drop off points all over the country — www.recyclingnearyou.com.au.
TOTAL PROTECTION
While encryption and clean-up tools add a layer of protection, they’re still not foolproof. For total data security, the only solution is to remove and keep (or physically destroy) items such as HDDs before selling, donating or recycling your tech. For most people, this is not necessary, of course, but still worth noting. Some storage, such as on phones, is not removable, and there is no way to make sure any old data is 100% gone, aside from destroying the entire device. If you do decide to go down the path of physical violence against your device, keep in mind that just smashing it up so it won’t turn on is not enough. Any HDDs or data storage needs to be reduced to tiny fragments (such as with an angle grinder) or burnt until melted or turned to ash.
“While not especially common, risks such as identity theft or gaining access to online banking are worth making extra efforts to avoid.”