Got a New Phone This Holiday Season? Here's How You Can Recycle Your Old Gadgets

Many people are probably gifted with the newest tech during the holidays, rendering old gadgets a bit useless or worn out. But instead of throwing them out, you can recycle them.

Some people would probably keep a drawer filled with memories of old gadgets: stacks of old batteries, plastics with old cables, or a box of old phones that just don't work today.

You may not notice the hassle of it now, but you will feel the ordeal of stocking old gadgets when you have nowhere else to put your other stuff.

So what can you do? Recycle them. You might think you can't possibly recycle old tech, but sometimes your old Nokia mobile phone could still be put to better use.

Peek into your drawers and find some of these things you can recycle or say goodbye to. Here's how you do it:

Step One: Make Sure Your Old Gadget Is Clean, Inside and Out

Just because your gadget doesn't serve you any purpose anymore doesn't mean other people won't be interested in what they find on it.

As CNET said, all a person needs is a compatible charger, and they could get your personal data in no time.

So don't just wipe off any dust you find on the surface of your old laptop, back up everything on that thing, and wipe off any personal information. Most gadgets come with a factory reset, so use that option.

Step Two: Take Care of Those Old Batteries

A report from The Washington Post said gadgets often catch fire and blow up when they are put up for recycling. What's the culprit? Batteries.

There are some ways to dispose of your old batteries responsibly. Often, Best Buy, Whole Foods, Home Depot, Lowes, and Staples have drop-off points to take dead batteries off your hands, so take them there.

Earth911 helps people locate the nearest recycling location based on the type of battery that needs to be disposed of.

Step Three: Take It to A Recycling Center

Once you're sure the phone is clean, from the battery to the SIM card, take it to recycling centers like Call2Recycle. These kinds of companies accept phones and batteries.

They can either refurbish the device to resell or recycle its materials to make a new device.

Sometimes, you can even get paid for recycling your phone. Just make sure recycling is the best option for getting the dusty phone off your hands.

Bonus: If It Still Works, Sell or Donate It Instead

If your laptop or phone is still usable, you might consider selling or donating it instead of scrapping it altogether. Just make sure you still follow all the steps about checking its memory and battery, so it doesn't explode in another person's hands later on.

Someone else can put it to good use if it isn't that beat up, according to Tech Soup. Local nonprofits and libraries can use them after refurbishment.

You can also donate your old phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers to help troops stay in touch with their families at home.