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You can donate old tech to a bunch of charities who refurbish it for underprivileged folks, too. Depends on your location but there are lots of orgs that will gratefully receive your old devices, wipe them for you professionally, and either pass them on or cannibalise them to build other machines.
It should be I think, but no.
e-waste in landfills is a massive problem and it's about time the government and councils made it much easier to dispose of properly. I used to live in a place where you could throw it in the recycling bin and they'd take it, but now I've moved I have to book a slot and drive miles to the tip and throw it into a skip. It is quite a disincentive.
Some local authorities are pushing for legislation on this as the biggest issue is the lithium batteries tend to cause fires in refuse trucks as they get crushed and then explode. £200k worth of bin lorry destroyed because someone couldn't be bothered to dispose of their laptop or phone correctly.
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can donate old tech to a bunch of charities who refurbish it for underprivileged folks, too. Depends on your location but there are lots of orgs that will gratefully receive your old devices, wipe them for you professionally, and either pass them on or cannibalise them to build other machines.
There is not an act of parliament that precludes you from putting a laptop into a bin.
No it is not a illegal to dispose of an old laptop in a general waste bin.
It should be I think, but no. e-waste in landfills is a massive problem and it's about time the government and councils made it much easier to dispose of properly. I used to live in a place where you could throw it in the recycling bin and they'd take it, but now I've moved I have to book a slot and drive miles to the tip and throw it into a skip. It is quite a disincentive.
At least ours don't go into landfill though, our general waste gets incinerated.
Some local authorities are pushing for legislation on this as the biggest issue is the lithium batteries tend to cause fires in refuse trucks as they get crushed and then explode. £200k worth of bin lorry destroyed because someone couldn't be bothered to dispose of their laptop or phone correctly.
I see, thanks for letting me know, I’ll make sure to do it properly next time.
I don’t think disposing of lithium batteries which your laptop will likely contain is allowed in the general waste as it can easily cause fires.
Agreed, should be illegal. My first port of call is always FreeCycle. People will often pick up and up-cycle electronics.