How to Dispose of Old Routers?

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How to Dispose of Old Routers New

Before you clear out an old router, check who owns it. If it belongs to your internet provider, ask how to return it.

A working router you own may be suitable for reuse, sale, or donation after a factory reset.

For a broken or unsupported router, call an electronics recycler to confirm acceptance.

Keep routers out of curbside recycling, and remove your personal settings before donation or recycling.

Check Who Owns the Router

Build Your Router Handoff Checklist

Start with ownership. If you own the router, add its condition and current support status.

Don’t dismantle or move a router with a hot, swollen, leaking, or damaged battery. If it is smoking or overheating, keep people away and call emergency services.

Factory-reset and cloud-account steps vary. Use current instructions for your exact model and hardware revision.

All checks are shown below. Use the sections that fit your item.

1. Who owns the router?


2. What condition is it in?


3. Does it still receive security updates?


Answer the questions above to see the checklist that fits.

Return It to Your Provider

Don’t sell or donate provider-owned equipment.

Your provider may charge for equipment that isn’t returned. If the account is closed or its holder has died, ask how to return it.

Confirm Ownership First

Check the account, rental agreement, bill, and device label. Ask the provider if you still can’t tell.

Don’t sell, donate, or recycle it until you know who owns it.

Prepare It for Reuse

The TP-Link reset page is an example for its listed models. Other brands and versions may use different steps or timing.

Check Support Before Handoff

Use the model and hardware revision to find the manufacturer’s current support page and firmware notes.

If you can’t confirm current security support, ask the manufacturer. Recycle the router if support has ended.

Prepare It for Electronics Recycling

EPA lists electronics recycling routes, but the actual program must confirm that it accepts your router.

Condition Unsure

Don’t power it on to test it if the case or cord is damaged, it smells burned, or it got wet.

If it appears safe, use the exact manual to check it. Otherwise, describe the condition to an electronics recycler before taking it in.

A checked box records only what you reviewed. It isn’t proof of secure erasure or recycler acceptance.


Reset a Router You Own

A factory reset removes your Wi-Fi name, passwords, admin credentials, port-forwarding rules, parental controls, and other custom settings.

The method and button-hold time vary by model, so follow your manufacturer’s manual or support page.

Don’t assume every router uses a 30-second reset.

  1. Remove your USB drive, memory card, SIM, or any separately attached storage device.
  2. Sign out or unlink the router from its cloud account or app if the manufacturer lists a separate removal step.
  3. Power the router as the manual requires, then perform the factory reset.
  4. Let the reset finish. If possible, connect with the factory credentials and check that your old network name and settings are gone.
  5. Remove labels with your personal information. Keep the model and regulatory labels for the next user or recycler.

TP-Link says a factory reset erases all custom settings, but its button procedure applies only to specified models.

Use that page to understand a reset, then follow the steps for your own model.

Reuse, Sell, or Donate a Supported Router

You can reuse a working router as an access point, network switch, wireless bridge, or spare if it supports that mode and still gets security updates.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, use a current encryption setting, and protect every wireless network with a strong password.

Don’t create an open guest network simply to avoid sharing a password.

Guest isolation depends on your settings, and someone may misuse an unsecured connection.

Don’t install unsupported custom firmware only to keep obsolete hardware running.

When you sell or donate it, include the power adapter and list the model and hardware revision.

Tell the recipient whether it’s a router, modem, or combined gateway.

Also tell them if the device is locked to a provider or no longer supported.

Recycle a Dead or Unsupported Router

EPA recommends checking your state or community electronics recyclers, plus manufacturer and retailer take-back programs.

Ask whether the program takes networking equipment, charges a fee, limits quantities, or serves residents only.

If your router has a removable battery, follow the recycler’s instructions.

EPA says some batteries need separate handling, and lithium-ion batteries don’t belong in household trash or recycling bins.

Don’t dismantle or move a router with a hot, swollen, leaking, or damaged battery.

Keep people away and call emergency services if the router is smoking or overheating.

Otherwise, ask your local fire department or household hazardous waste program how to handle the damaged battery.

If your router is dead and can’t be reset, tell the electronics recycler.

For a business router or unusually sensitive settings, choose a recycler or data-destruction service that documents how it handles equipment containing data.

Do Not Put It in Ordinary Recycling

Your router contains a circuit board, mixed plastics, metals, and sometimes a battery.

Your curbside program can’t treat those materials as one recyclable item.

Local laws differ too, so check before putting a router in the trash.

You’ll need to prepare related devices separately.

Check our guides to computer monitors and laptop batteries before combining them in one drop-off load.

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