No matter how much high-tech awesomeness your computer is packed with right now, it will eventually stop working — or just become too outdated to be worth powering on. When this happens, you need to figure out what to do with it. Just so you know, throwing it into the garbage isn’t the answer. You need to recycle your computer. Putting together the parts that make up a computer takes a lot of energy. Technology makers use much less energy when they don’t have to dig up fresh raw materials and create new parts. This means that recycling your computer will be a big boon for the management of sustainable waste energy.

But a computer isn’t exactly a plastic bottle or a tin can, so you’re probably wondering just how you can get rid of it in an eco-friendly, safe manner. Let’s take a look at how you should approach computer recycling:

Clean your computer out

Assuming that the power button still works, you’re going to want to do a factory data reset on your device before you even start the computer recycling process. This is because data thieves are lurking around every corner; you need to protect yourself from them by giving them as little as possible to work with.

Also, you shouldn’t assume that all of your data will be safe just because your soon-to-be-recycled computer no longer works. Professional data thieves have the ability to pick apart a broken computer and steal your data anyway. If your old computer is damaged beyond use, then you will need to have the memory removed and physically destroyed. This is a dangerous thing to do, so it should always be done by a professional.

Determine what computer recycling really means to you

As we mentioned earlier, a computer and a plastic bottle aren’t exactly the same thing. These differences extend beyond their basic use and include the recycling process itself. Computer recycling, for example, can mean one of two things:

The most traditional perception of computer recycling — or recycling in any form, for that matter — is to have your old recyclable junk shipped off to a recycling plant, where its parts and raw materials can be re-used. If your old computer is beyond repair, then this is your best — and only — approach to computer recycling.

The other form of computer recycling doesn’t involve a parts processing plant at all. Instead, your old computer would be refurbished and either donated or sold for a super deep discount. This approach to computer recycling usually takes less energy.

Call in the reinforcements when you have a lot of junk computers

When you’re recycling multiple computers, you need to take a different approach. If you’ve got a legion of bulky computerized machines that you need to get rid of, you shouldn’t take on computer recycling alone. Instead, you should seek out a pro junk removal service that specializes in recycling old technology. Not only will they have the tools you need to haul all of your junk computers away all at once, but they will have the resources and know how to take the computers to the right place.

These organizations will also help you identify which computers are salvageable for refurbishing, and which need to be tossed into the processing plant pile.

Are you approaching computer recycling the right way?

You need to recycle your old computer. Because a computer is a complex machine, you will have to take a few extra steps to recycle it correctly. To learn more about recycling your old computers, televisions or anything else, contact a professional junk remover.