I’ve been cleaning up my home office and found 2 pretty old smartphones in a box, around 10 years old I’d say. I don’t have any old chargers to check if they still work so I’m unsure what sort of data is on there, if any, or if they still charge up even.
What are the chances I can safely dispose of them at a recycling center, without risk of anyone trying to check into the phone? None of them can have the battery removed so I don’t want to just smash them with a hammer.
My standard method is to remove the battery, resistively discharge, and drive a nail through it. I do this when I’m not able to recycle for whatever reason.
In your case, it might be best to drop them off at a specialized disposal facility. I think you can search for these online and mail them in.