Guide for homes
How to recycle old phones, laptops and appliances from home in Pune
In short
- Back up, sign out of your accounts, then erase the device using the official reset option. Do it in that order.
- Take out SIM cards and memory cards before handing a phone over.
- Loose batteries are covered by separate rules, so keep them apart from your other e-waste. Never puncture or crush a swollen battery.
- Give e-waste to a registered recycler or refurbisher, not a scrap buyer who will strip it for parts.
Most Pune homes have a drawer of old phones, a laptop that no longer charges and a mixer or two that stopped working years ago. These are worth recycling properly: they contain metals that can be recovered and materials that should not end up in a landfill. Here is how to do it safely.
What counts as e-waste
Almost anything with a plug, a battery or a circuit board. India's E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 group it into seven categories, from phones and laptops to TVs, fridges, washing machines, power tools, electronic toys and some medical and lab equipment. See the full list on our items we accept page.
Step 1: Back up what you want to keep
Photos, contacts, chats and documents first. Once a device is erased, nobody — including us — can bring the data back.
Step 2: Erase your phone or tablet
iPhone or iPad
Apple's own steps, in short:
- Back up the device.
- Unpair your Apple Watch if you have one.
- Sign out of iCloud and the App Store (Settings, tap your name, then Sign Out).
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset, then tap Erase All Content and Settings. If you use an eSIM, choose to erase it too.
Apple notes that erasing the device turns off Find My and Activation Lock, and does not delete your content from iCloud.
Android phone or tablet
- Make sure your data is backed up to your Google Account.
- Check which Google Account is on the phone (Settings > Accounts) and that you know its password.
- Sign out of your Google Account and any phone-maker account (for example a Samsung account), so the next person can set the phone up.
- Run the factory reset from Settings. Google says it "erases all your data from your phone". Menu names vary by brand, so check your phone maker's help page if you cannot find it.
Finally, take out the SIM card and any memory card. A memory card is not erased by a phone reset.
Step 3: Laptops and computers
- Copy your files to another device or cloud storage.
- Sign out of your email, browser, cloud storage and any app accounts.
- Use the built-in reset option that removes everything (on Windows, "Reset this PC" with the option to remove everything; on a Mac, Erase All Content and Settings where available).
- If the computer will not switch on, tell the recycler so the drive can be wiped or destroyed for you.
Step 4: Keep batteries separate
Waste batteries are covered by the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, not the e-waste rules, so they are handled separately. Leave batteries that are built into a device where they are. If you have loose batteries, keep them apart, tape over the terminals, and never puncture, crush or heat a swollen battery — it can catch fire.
Step 5: Give it to a registered recycler
An informal scrap buyer may break a device open for its valuable parts and discard the rest, with no record of what happened to it or the data inside. A registered recycler or refurbisher has to meet the rules for processing the whole device. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board publishes lists of authorised e-waste recyclers and refurbishers, linked below, so you can check a name before you hand anything over.
If you are in Pune, you can schedule a pickup with us and we will collect your e-waste from your door.
Common questions
Do I have to recycle e-waste by law as a household?
The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 place their duties on producers, manufacturers, refurbishers, recyclers and bulk consumers, not on individual households. Recycling properly is still the right thing to do, and it protects your data.
Is a factory reset enough to protect my data?
For modern phones, yes — if you use the official option. Apple's "Erase All Content and Settings" and Android's factory reset erase your data. Remove your accounts first, and take out the SIM card and memory card, which a reset does not wipe.
Can I put old batteries in with my e-waste?
Keep loose batteries separate. They are covered by the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, not the e-waste rules. Batteries built into a phone or laptop can stay in the device.
What happens to my old phone after recycling?
Working devices may be refurbished and reused. Others are dismantled so that metals and plastics can be recovered and hazardous parts treated safely.
Related on this site
Sources
We checked the facts in this guide against these official documents. Rules change, so check the current version before relying on it for compliance.
- E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 — G.S.R. 801(E), 2 November 2022 (CPCB copy of the Gazette notification)
- Apple Support — What to do before you sell, give away or trade in your iPhone or iPad
- Android Help — Reset your Android device to factory settings
- MPCB Circular Economy Directory 2025 — includes authorised electronic waste recyclers in Maharashtra
- MPCB — Authorised E-Waste Recyclers & Refurbishers, March 2024