Most people don’t throw away old electronics –they relocate them. The laptop goes from the desk to the closet, the closet to a storage bin, the bin to the garage, where it joins a growing collection of devices that stopped being useful years ago. It’s a very human response to a decision that feels more complicated than it should be. Where does it go? Does it cost money? What about the data on it? In reality, the answers are simpler than most people expect, and properly getting rid of old tech can usually be done for free in a single afternoon.

Major retailers such as Best Buy and Staples have become drop-off hubs for digital junk. You can walk into a store with a dead PC or a clunky old scanner and hand it over for free, regardless of where you bought it. Some of these places will even give you a discount on new gear or a trade-in credit just for helping them reclaim the heavy metals and plastics that don’t belong in a landfill. It’s the easiest way to recover your storage space without feeling like a jerk for tossing electronics in the trash.

Advertisement

The only real “work” on your end is making sure you aren’t handing over your entire life history along with the hardware. Before you dump a device, you need to do a legitimate data wipe — not just drag files to the trash can. A 10-minute factory reset or a dedicated drive-scrubbing tool ensures your old tax returns and saved passwords don’t become someone else’s property. Stop acting like you’re going to “fix” that laptop from 2015 and let a professional recycler break it down for parts instead.

What to do before you recycle your old computer

Wherever you take or mail in your items to be recycled, you’ll want to protect your data by removing it as best you can. One way to do this is to perform a factory reset on your computer. Our guide walks you through the process.

Where to recycle your old printers and computers

Some retail stores will accept computers and printers for recycling, but it’s not always a free service. Policies vary by company.

Apple

You can recycle your old Apple computers, monitors and peripherals, such as printers, for free at an Apple store, but there’s a costly catch. According to the Apple Free Recycling program, you must purchase a qualifying Apple computer or monitor to receive this service. Need another option? A third-party company called Gazelle buys old MacBooks to recycle them. After accepting Gazelle’s offer, you print a prepaid label or request a prepaid box and ship the machine to them.

Read more: Phone and Laptop Repair Goes Mainstream With Push From iFixit

Best Buy

Best Buy generally accepts up to three household items per household per day to be recycled for free, including desktop computers and printers, as well as other items ranging from e-readers to vacuum cleaners. While three is the limit for most items, there’s a higher limit for laptops — Best Buy will take five of those per household per day. Note that rules for dropping off monitors vary by state, and it’s not always free to do so. Best Buy also offers a mail-in recycling service for select items, but that’s also not free. A small box that holds up to 6 pounds costs $23, while a large box (up to 15 pounds) costs $30. One CNET editor recently lugged in an old, nonworking tube TV-VCR combo for e-cycling, and was happy to pay $30 to be rid of it.

Office Depot 

Office Depot and OfficeMax merged in 2013. The retailers offer a tech trade-in program both in-store and online, where you may be able to get a store gift card in exchange for your old computers and printers. If the device has no trade-in value, the company will recycle it for free. Office Depot also sells e-waste recycling boxes that you can fill with electronics to be recycled and then drop off at the stores, but they aren’t free. The small boxes cost $8.39 and hold up to 20 pounds, the medium ones cost $18.29 and hold up to 40 pounds, and the large boxes cost $28 and hold up to 60 pounds.

Staples 

You can bring your old desktop computers, laptops, printers and more to the Staples checkout counter to be recycled for free, even if they weren’t purchased there. According to a Staples rep, the retailer also has a free at-home battery recycling box, which has led customers to recycle thousands of batteries per week, up from an earlier average of 50 per week. Here’s a list of everything that can be recycled at Staples.

Advertisement

Watch this: Give Your Old Phone a Second Life: The Right Way to Recycle and Reuse It

04:52

Where to find electronics recycling centers

If you don’t live near a major retailer or would rather take your computers and printers to a recycling center, you can locate places near you by using search tools provided by Earth911 and the Consumer Technology Association.

Earth911

Use the recycling center search function on Earth911 to find recycling centers near your ZIP code that accept laptops, desktops and printers. Note that the results may also turn up places that accept mobile phones and not computers or printers, so you may have to do a little filtering.

Greener Gadgets

Consult the Consumer Technology Association’s Greener Gadgets Recycle Locator to find local recycling centers in your area that will take old items. The search function also allows you to filter the results to separately hunt for places that take computers versus printers.

Anthropic has confirmed that the Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Claude’s two most powerful models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5.

In a post on X, Anthropic confirmed that it will begin restoring access to Fable 5 on Wednesday. On the other hand, Mythos will remain exclusive to select companies.

“We’ve received notice that the Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5,” Anthropic said in a statement. “We’ll begin restoring access tomorrow, and will share an update soon.”

“We’re grateful to our users for their patience, and to everyone who worked with us on redeploying the models.”

At the moment, it’s unclear if Fable 5 will roll out to everyone, including those outside the United States. More recently, references to KYC were spotted on Anthropic’s website, raising concerns that models like Fable could be restricted to those in the United States, at least initially.

This is a developing story…

Security teams log 54% of successful attacks and alert on just 14%. The rest move through your environment unseen.

The Picus whitepaper shows how breach and attack simulation tests your SIEM and EDR rules so threats stop slipping by detection.

Get the whitepaper

Huawei has officially started selling the MatePad Pro Max in Germany, marking the European retail debut of its flagship tablet nearly two months after its global unveiling. Positioned as a premium productivity device, the MatePad Pro Max combines an ultra-thin design, a high-end OLED display, desktop-style software features, and bundled accessories aimed at professionals and creators.

The tablet starts at €1,099 for the Space Gray model, while the PaperMatte Edition with the Glide Keyboard costs €1,299. Huawei is also sweetening the deal with free accessories and an extended warranty for early buyers.

Huawei scores high on thinness and lightness

Huawei says the MatePad Pro Max is the world’s thinnest and lightest tablet in its class. Measuring just 4.7mm at its thinnest point and weighing 499 grams for the standard model, the tablet is designed to be highly portable without compromising durability.

Despite its slim profile, Huawei claims the device is 60 percent more resistant to bending than its predecessor and is the first tablet to receive TÜV Rheinland Ultra-thin Bending Resistance Certification.

The front is dominated by a 13.2-inch Flexible OLED PaperMatte display with a resolution of 3000×2000, a 144Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of 1,600 nits. Huawei’s nano-level etching technology helps reduce reflections and glare, making the display more comfortable to use outdoors or under bright lighting. The slim 3.55mm bezels also contribute to an impressive 94 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Under the hood, the MatePad Pro Max runs HarmonyOS 4.3, offering features such as Live Multitask, which lets users work with up to 3 apps simultaneously. Huawei has also bundled a PC-like version of WPS Office complete with AI-powered tools for editing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, positioning the tablet as a genuine laptop alternative.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NearLink, and USB-C 3.1, while a 10,400mAh battery supports 66W fast charging and 40W wired reverse charging for powering compatible accessories.

The optional Glide Keyboard adds six rows of keys, 1.8mm key travel, and a built-in charging slot for the M-Pencil Pro, further strengthening the tablet’s productivity credentials.

Buyers will get a lot of freebies

For buyers, Huawei is adding significant launch incentives. Customers purchasing the MatePad Pro Max through the Huawei Online Store or the company’s Berlin flagship store before July 31 will receive a 12-month extended warranty, a free pair of FreeBuds Pro 4, the M-Pencil Pro, and a €100 discount voucher.

With Apple and Samsung continuing to dominate the premium tablet market, Huawei is clearly betting that a combination of premium hardware, productivity-focused software, and generous launch offers will help the MatePad Pro Max stand out. While its lack of Google services may remain a consideration for some users, the tablet offers an attractive package for those already invested in Huawei’s ecosystem or looking for a capable alternative to traditional laptops.

Rocket Lab will acquire all outstanding shares of Iridium common stock in a cash and stock transaction that will represent an enterprise value for Iridium of approximately $8bn.

Aerospace manufacturer Rocket Lab has announced plans to acquire satellite services platform Iridium Communications.

Under the ‘definitive agreement’, Rocket Lab will acquire all outstanding shares of Iridium common stock for $54 per share in a cash and stock transaction, representing an enterprise value for Iridium of approximately $8bn.

Initially established by Motorola in the 1980s, Iridium ​developed one of the world’s ​first global low-Earth orbit satellite ⁠communications networks and in the 1990s, after a financial decline, reestablished itself as a provider of communications services to government, aviation, maritime and industrial consumers. 

The acquisition will merge Rocket Lab’s launch capabilities and satellite manufacturing with Iridium’s global satellite communications network, spectrum, and more than 500-strong partner ecosystem, combining their reach in the US space ecosystem and creating a potential rival to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.  

SpaceX recently raised a record-breaking $75bn in its IPO debut, effectively ‘setting the scene’ for AI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI as they also prepare to make their organisations public.  

Commenting on the acquisition, Peter Beck, the founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, said, “This is a defining moment for the space industry and the start of a new era of strategic, accelerated growth for Rocket Lab and Iridium.

“By marrying Iridium’s deep heritage, trusted infrastructure and highly sought-after spectrum with Rocket Lab’s extensive and proven launch and manufacturing capabilities, we have the capability to unlock entirely new markets.

“We will go far beyond maintaining a legacy – we are going to build upon it to pioneer next-generation space applications and deliver sought-after capabilities to existing and new customers.”

Iridium’s CEO Matt Desch added, “As the worlds of space and terrestrial communications continue to converge, more critical services will depend on space-based capabilities. Success will come from those who can bring new innovations to space quickly and sustain them over time as efficiently as possible. 

“We’re excited about being able to accelerate the next generation of IoT, aviation, maritime, PNT (position, navigation, timing) and national security capabilities, and pursue new innovative applications as part of Rocket Lab.”

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Indian supplier Tata Electronics confirmed the breach on 22 June.

A ransomware group has posted stolen images of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, alongside sensitive lists of components and suppliers, Reuters has reported.

The data was taken from the tech giant’s Indian supplier Tata Electronics, which confirmed the breach on 22 June.

The leak comes as Apple is reportedly gearing up to release its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this September. SiliconRepublic.com has reached out to Apple for comments.

Documents reviewed by Reuters showed files that map iPhone 18 Pro’s components across companies that supply them, including details of chips on its main circuit board, battery parts and camera components.

The company does not disclose detailed supplier information in its public databases, a source told the publication, adding that Apple considers the leaked information to be sensitive.

The leak also includes confidential images of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro – reportedly a conventional grey handset with a three-rear-camera set-up and the Apple logo.

The breach threatens the security of the tightly-held chain of suppliers Apple has in place, across more than 60 countries and using millions of workers, to manufacture its products.

It comes after the company raised iPad and MacBook prices last week due to soaring memory and storage chip costs. Analysts expect iPhone prices, especially the Pro models, to also be affected by the chip shortage.

Meanwhile, the 2020-founded Tata Electronics – a Tata Group venture – has taken the mantle as a key player in India’s efforts to improve its devices and chip manufacturing capacity.

The company manufactures electronics, assembles, tests and provides semiconductor foundry capabilities. It has deals with global companies, including the Dutch semiconductor company ASML, Qualcomm, Intel, Tesla and Merck, as manufacturers attempt to diversify supply chains outside of China.

Reuters previously reported that a cyber group called World Leaks posted more than 200,000 files pertaining to Tata customers Apple and Tesla on the dark web.

The files reportedly contained design papers of older iPhones, documents from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Qualcomm – both of whom supply Apple with components – as well as some data from Tesla.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.