What to do With Old Routers

Whether you’re changing internet providers due to finding a cheaper deal or have been won over by quicker performances, it normally leaves you with a spare router. Many internet providers will claim that you can only use their service if you also use their routers. This can leave you wondering what to do with old routers.

As of late, there has been a large increase in people working from home. The Guardian reported during the second lockdown, that the number of people who exclusively worked from home rose to 24%. As a result, there will be plenty of households looking to upgrade their internet for faster speeds and increased bandwidths, which means lots of routers will end up being disposed of.

Can I Throw Away an Old Router?

You should not dispose of your old routers via your council collected general waste and recycling bins. This is because your router will fall into the category of waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling or WEEE for short.

Small electrical items can be made using items that are hazardous to the environment. Some may even include items that are defined as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Although modern tech is much less likely to contain POPs they can still be found in small quantities within items like circuit boards.

How to Dispose of Old Routers

At Clearabee we have a number of options that can see your routers and other items collected from your home.

Our most popular rubbish removal service is our ‘Man and Van’ collection. This service will see one of our professional waste operatives collect and load our van with any rubbish you need to get rid of. Prices start at £84.99 which will collect 1 cubic yard worth of waste. 1 cubic yard is the equivalent to around the size of 2 washing machines which is a lot more than a single router.

This would be a good option if you had a router, plus some more items that you needed to get rid of. Maybe your garage has amassed a mound of unwanted items over the last few years? With a flexible collection, we could get rid of your router, that old footstall that needs getting rid of, the Christmas tree in the loft which has seen better days and any other item you need to be free of.

Another option you may want to take us up on our Skip Bags. In the scenario of needing to get rid of an old router, our mini skip bags would be the best choice. They come in rolls of 10 with each bag being able to hold 25kg of waste. With WEEE, we would ask that you ensure that you dedicate a bag to that type of waste so you don’t mix general waste with your WEEE.

There are plenty of items you could use your dedicated WEEE skip bag on. What about that pile of chargers that can’t be used on any of your modern tech, old remotes with no TV, phones whose contracts ran out years ago. A roll of 10 mini bags will cost £4.99 and you can then organise a collection once you’ve filled at least four bags. We can collect each bag for £8.99 and will collect a minimum of four bags per visit, which comes to £35.96. All these prices are up to date as of February 2021, be sure to check the ‘Man and Van’ and Skip Bag pages for updates or request a quote.

Recycle Old Routers

There are plenty of tutorials online which show you how to turn your old routers into WI-FI extenders but this requires a fair amount of technical familiarity. There are also certain conditions and types of routers that cannot be reused by their design.

There are a set of rules and regulations surrounding WEEE that state that those who distribute electrical items must also provide a take-back scheme. Plusnet offers a scheme where they can take back routers but you have to print off your own labels and take them down to the post office. Although internet providers are inclined to offer this take-back scheme by the WEEE regulations not everyone provides free postage. Sending items back can also become a problem when you don’t have a printer or are unsure of what size or weight your parcel is. Therefore these aren’t always the easiest answer to what to do with old routers.

WEEE and old routers will go through a recycling process where their raw materials are separated so that they can be used again. This will be performed at a specialized plant where your router will be picked apart, hazardous items removed and then shredded. Materials that can typically be reclaimed include plastic, metal and non-ferrous metals like copper.

How to dispose of old modems and routers with Clearabee

We’ve seen how you may end up with a spare router on your hands and what to do with old routers. If you need any more advice feel free to get in contact. We’ll be able to sort out a solution to your rubbish removal requirements which would also see over 95% of the waste recycled.

We’re the nation’s largest clearance company with over 10,000 reviews on Trustpilot where we have been rated as excellent. With a Clearabee removal, you’ll be getting a quick service that you know you can rely on.