How do I securely dispose of my old laptop or phone?
We all have one. That ‘drawer of doom’ in the office or at home. The one filled with a tangle of mystery cables, an old iPhone with a cracked screen, and a laptop that hasn't been turned on since 2019.
It feels easier to just leave them there than to deal with the headache of getting rid of them safely. But holding onto old tech, worse, disposing of it incorrectly, is a security risk you don’t need.
Here is a straightforward guide to clearing out clutter without compromising your data.
The Golden Rule: The 5-Year Cut-Off
Before you spend hours trying to refurbish an old machine for a new team member, stop.
If the device is more than five years old, recycle it.
Technology moves fast. A five-year-old laptop is likely too underpowered to bring any real value to a new owner. It will be slow, frustrating to use, and probably won't support the latest security updates. You are better off sending these straight to be recycled.
But, and this is critical, you cannot just toss it in a bin.
Never Hand Over a Device With Data On It
Whether you are trading a device in, selling it, or sending it to a recycling firm, the rule is simple: Trust no one.
Many recycling firms and trade-in services claim they will wipe the data for you. While many are legitimate, you should never bet your business's security on a stranger’s promise. If you hand over a device that still contains your data, you have lost control of that data.
Always wipe the device yourself first.
How to Wipe Your Devices Correctly
You don't need expensive software to do this. Modern operating systems have built-in tools designed to nuke your data effectively.
For Windows PCs: Go to your settings and look for ‘Reset this PC’. Select the option to remove everything and fully clean the drive.
For Macs: macOS has a handy ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ feature (similar to an iPhone) that handles this quickly.
For iPhones and Androids: perform a full Factory Reset from the settings menu.
The Step Everyone Forgets: Revoke Access
Wiping the device is only half the battle. You also need to sever the digital link between that hardware and your cloud accounts.
Even after a factory reset, some services might still recognise that device as 'trusted'. You need to go into the security settings of your critical accounts and manually remove the device.
Check the 'Your Devices' or 'Security' sections of:
Your Google Workspace account (essential)
Banking and trading apps
Social media accounts (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook)
Any other service you were signed into
If you see the old device listed there, hit 'Sign out' or 'Remove'. This ensures that even if the impossible happens and the device is recovered, it has no keys to access your digital life.
What If It Won’t Turn On?
Sometimes a laptop is so old or damaged it won’t even boot up, meaning you can’t run the software wipe.
Do not just throw it away. The hard drive inside might still be readable.
In this scenario, you need to find a specialist company that offers secure data wiping or physical drive destruction. Take the device to them and get confirmation that the drive has been destroyed. It is a small cost for peace of mind.
Summary
Securing your business data doesn't stop when you stop using a device. If a laptop or phone is more than five years old, it’s likely too slow to be useful to anyone else, so send it off to be recycled. But before you do, wipe it yourself. Do not rely on a recycling company to do it for you. And always remember to revoke that device's access to your cloud accounts (Google, Banking, Socials) immediately.
Here are the most common questions we get about retiring old tech:
Q: Is "Factory Reset" enough to wipe my data? Yes, for modern devices (smartphones and newer laptops with SSDs), a full factory reset or "Erase All Content and Settings" makes the data unrecoverable for the average person. However, for highly sensitive business data on very old mechanical hard drives, physical destruction of the drive is the only 100% guarantee.
Q: Can I just throw my old laptop in the bin? No. Aside from the environmental damage, throwing a device into general waste is a significant security risk. If the drive is not wiped or destroyed, anyone who finds it could access your company's data. Always use a WEEE-compliant recycling service.
Q: Should I trade in my old work phone? Only if it is relatively new (less than 3-4 years old) and high value. For older devices, the trade-in value is often negligible compared to the security risk of handing over a device that hasn't been properly wiped. If you do trade it in, wipe it yourself before you hand it over.
Q: How do I remove a device from my Google Workspace account? Go to your Google Account settings, select "Security," and then scroll down to "Your devices." Select "Manage all devices," click on the old device, and select "Sign out." This revokes its access to your company data immediately.
Q: My laptop won't turn on. How do I wipe it? If you cannot turn the device on to run a software wipe, you cannot be sure the data is gone. In this case, you must remove the hard drive and physically destroy it (shred or drill it), or take it to a specialist secure destruction partner who can provide a certificate of destruction.
