Why it matters

The device is physical. The hesitation is personal.

How RebootLoop thinks about old devices, and what a carbon estimate can and can't tell you.

The problem and our approach

Knowing how to prepare a device helps people decide.

It is reasonable to worry about photos, messages and account access. Knowing how to prepare a device can help someone decide what to do with it. Responsible collection also keeps hazardous materials out of inappropriate disposal pathways; the ecological effect of one device cannot be measured from a web assessment.

40%In MobileMuster's 2024 report, people asked directly about data security considered it a barrier to recycling. Source: MobileMuster, p. 23

511,000 tAustralian e-waste generated in 2019; DCCEEW projects 657,000 t in 2030. Source: DCCEEW

1 safe stepOur goal for each assessment: a suitable next action, with a clear stop when ownership, physical safety or data risks need expert help. This is a product goal, not a measured outcome.

Check the boundary

Hazards, lack of authority, unavailable erasure and high sensitivity trigger escalation.

Choose the next life

Repair or reuse where viable; use an accepted recycling pathway when appropriate.

See your impact

Get the official guide, the right drop-off point and a copy of your results, plus what finishing the job does for the planet.

Carbon scenario · one reference model

What could a genuinely displaced new purchase mean?

Apple reports a 56 kg CO₂e life cycle footprint for an iPhone 16 128GB, with 80% attributed to production. The reference production portion is 56 × 0.80 = 44.8 kg CO₂e. This is a comparison for one specific model, not the footprint of your device.

Read Apple's product environmental report, p. 10 ↗

In this illustrative scenario, was a new iPhone 16 purchase actually displaced?

0 kg CO₂eNo displacement assumed. An assessment or recycling decision alone does not avoid a new purchase.

Scenario arithmetic only. It excludes repair and reuse emissions, differences between phones, rebound effects and proof of a changed purchase. RebootLoop has verified 0 kg CO₂e savings.

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