The computer industry is a fast changing one which means that we’re all under pressure to upgrade regularly. But what do you do with your old laptop? You can’t let it add to the mountain of landfill, but there are alternatives.

We’re always being pressed to upgrade to the latest fastest computers. But that leaves the problem of what to do with the old one. Millions of PCs end up in landfill sites even though they may be usable or contain components that can be recycled. So what can we do to dispose of our old machines safely? Recommend reading: Tips to Buying Used Computers at an Auction Sale.

If it’s in working order you could give your old laptop to a friend or relative who may be able to make use of it. If it isn’t working check to see if your local council has a scheme to recycle old electrical appliances you’ll often find a special container at civic amenities sites. Alternatively you may be able to get some money for your machine. Several companies now offer schemes where you can take your old machine such as an Acer trade in and get cash in return.

Whatever make of laptop you have, even if it isn’t an Acer trade in cash is available. The process is simple and straightforward and you can get a quotation online in just a few minutes.

Protecting Your Information

You may well have personal information stored on the hard drive of your machine and you need to be sure that this will be safely removed. Deleting the files or even formatting the hard drive isn’t enough as data can still be recovered using the right tools. You can get hold of programs that will securely overwrite the information of the disk so that it can’t be recovered and if your machine is in working order this is well worth doing. It usually involves booting the PC from a CD that then wipes the data from the hard drive.If the system isn’t working there may well still be recoverable data on the drive even though you can’t read it. In this case make sure you choose a trade in supplier that will securely wipe the drive before selling the machine on. Alternatively if you’re disposing of the PC for recycling you may want to physically remove the hard drive and destroy it before you get rid of the computer.

Disposal Check List

* Find a supplier that will recycle or reuse the PC

* Securely wipe the data from the hard drive

* Remove the disk and destroy it if you can’t access it

* Find out if you can trade in for cash

There are plenty of ways to dispose of your old computer, whichever you choose make sure that it will be properly recycled at that your personal data will be kept safe. The latter is important even if you’re giving it away to a friend or a local good cause. If you can get some cash for your old machine by trading it in then that’s an added bonus. Reading more: Improve Your Computer Performance Quickly and Effectively.

Harry Wilson is a freelance writer specialising in technology, he recommends finding a reputable supplier if you need to dispose of your PC, for makes such as Acer trade in cash is available.