Before you recycle that electronic device…

Thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste ends up in Canadian landfills every year. The culprit?  That old flip phone and outdated computers.

Your used electronic devices may have reached the end of their lifespan, but there’s a better place to put them than the local landfill.

Urbanmine is a registered Recycle My Electronics drop-off depot.

How to prepare your device for recycling

Passwords, credit card numbers,banking information, even pictures of your kids—if you’re going to dispose of those old devices it is good practice to clear your personal data off the device before you turn it in. Your old laptop and smart phone are a goldmine for identity and data thieves. Even a digital fax and copy machines can store contact information.

To prepare your cell phone, tablet and computer for recycling:

  1. Back up your personal files, photos, contacts or other important data to the cloud or to an external hard drive.
  2. Log out of any applications that connect you to the internet (email, cloud storage, banking apps, Facebook, etc.)
  3. Remove expandable storage cards (like a microSD card) and any SIM cards.
  4. Use the factory reset option (also called hard reset) on your device to remove your personal data. This will get rid of any photos, contact information and downloaded applications, and restore the device to the same condition it was when it was purchased. Need help doing it? Check out your device user guide or contact your device provider for assistance.

Electronics Product Stewardship Canada has more tips for wiping your personal data from a variety of personal devices.

Bring us your used electronics! There’s no charge to drop them off at Urbanmine, and we’ll make sure it’s recycled properly.

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