If you have a laptop that you are no longer using, you will definitely want to recycle it before you dispose of it. Otherwise, you'll cause harm to the environment. However, you might wonder if there is anything in your laptop that you could also make use of. There are some products that can be put to use after you have salvaged them from your laptop.

The Battery

The laptop battery is usually unique to that particular brand of laptop. If you have an organization that has purchased a large number of laptops from the same brand, you might be able to swap one laptop battery out for another one. However, it also depends on how much life the battery has left. Some laptops last longer than others, and you might find that one battery on a broken laptop is superior to a battery found on a working laptop.

The RAM

RAM is a technology that can easily be removed and swapped with other RAM. Unlike other computer parts, the RAM technology rarely changes. As a result, you might be able to remove a stick that provides you with a lot of RAM and install it on another laptop that has a slot for RAM.

The Hard Drive

Hard drives are one of the most useful parts still found on a computer. If you often need a lot of space, you can simply use an extension and keep your hard drive as an external drive. However, you'll want to place the hard drive in a case so that it's protected from the elements, or you might ruin it. Also, if you have a solid state drive for some laptops but not others, it makes sense to save these drives because they are faster and more expensive, and they last a very long time. 

The Power Cable

Power cables are often compatible with completely different models of computers. As a result, you may choose to keep a computer cable around as a backup in case another one breaks. This saves you a trip to the store to purchase a new one. 

You're most able to save a part if you have other laptops that are the same as the laptop you're recycling. For example, you may be able to use a keyboard on another laptop if you have to replace one. However, if you only have one laptop, you're best off recycling the whole thing. Talk to a recycling center to learn more about computer recycling.