You want to sell your old phone for cash today, since doing this will make a big contribution to the green lifestyle you have recently adopted. Congratulations! You have made the right decision.
Global waste management cannot be achieved by governments alone. Everyone needs to put his/her foot forward if we want to achieve a perfect world for everyone. We need to device eco-friendly ways to dispose our waste, and recycling old mobile phones is one of the best way to do this. Therefore, you are on the right track.
When mobile phones and tablets are disposed in landfills, they can emit poisonous elements to the environment such as mercury and lead, which can pose a hazard to the human race as well as other living and non-living organisms in the environment.
But wait…
Even though you will be doing justice to Mother Nature when you recycle your cellphone, there are some things you should not forget to do before you sell the gadget. They include;
1. Backup your data
As soon as you sell your phone to the recycler, note that he will proceed with the recycling process, and will not provide you with data backup services.
Therefore, if you old phone contains data that you still deem important such as contacts, messages, emails, and media files, you can back them up in an SD card, copy them in another phone or compute, or use a reliable backup service such as Dropbox.
2. Do a factory data reset
One of the worst mistakes you can do in your life is expose your personal data to anyone, since it can be used to perform malicious acts.
Even if you have chosen the best recycler for your mobile phones, note that your gadgets might go through a number of hands before they get to the final recipient, and your data will be at stake during the entire process.
For this reason, do a thorough factory rest which will wipe all the data in your phone, and return it to the original state it was in when you first purchased it.
However, make sure you performed the first step (backing up your data) before hitting the reset factory settings button.
3. Encrypt your data
You need to be aware of the fact that the factory data reset doesn’t remove all the selfies, messages, and other sensitive information especially if your phone is running on android.
It is, therefore, advisable to encrypt the data before wiping it. By doing this, it will become scrambled and unreadable, which means that even if it falls on the wrong hands, your personal information will not be at the risk of malicious intent.
iPhones encrypt data naturally, but if you have an android gadget, you will need to do this manually using the settings menu.
4. Remove SD cards and SIMs
When a recycling company receives your phone, it will not ship back your SD cards or SIM cards. They will be destroyed in accordance with its policies. Also, you will have to bear any costs that might be charged on the SIMs, especially if you had an initial contract with a wireless career. To prevent this, make sure you remove your SIM and SD cards before you ship your old phones for recycling. This can also go a long mile in keeping your data safe.
5. Know the value
Don’t blindly send your phone to the recycler, assuming that there is a standard cost for it. Look at its cosmetic condition, functionality, as well as its any signs of damage and come up with a value. Then, negotiate with the recycler and get the best deal. Then, ship your gadget when you are sure you know the amount of money your will mint from it. Nonetheless, you need to know that most recycling companies may alter the price if they find that the gadget doesn’t meet the specifications you described. But the good thing with recycling is, there is no comeback!
Before you decide to sell you old phones that have been gathering dust in your drawers and help in making the world a better place for future generations, don’t forget to do the things mentioned above. Keeping your data safe and getting the best value for your gadgets should be your ultimate goal!
Image Source: Pixabay.com
