The team at Compare and Recycle, a tech recycling comparison site, have created a list of the old tech an average family may have lying around at home.

They say an iPad Mini could earn you up to £180 (depending on the model), while an iPhone 7 32GB could pocket up to £213.

An Android phone, such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 32GB, could be worth up to £148, while a GoPro could get you £100.

Matthew Moreton, managing director of Compare and Recycle, said: “If you’re not sure what tech should go, the rule of thumb is: if you’ve not used it for over a year, should you really keep it? Just a small selection of old tech can go a long way in helping to cover the costs this Christmas.”

Here are five top tips to get the most out of your old tech:

1. Find the original chargers – If you have the original charger or power cable, this is always a plus and can really make the difference when a recycler comes to sell it on.
2. Make sure it works – If your old tech doesn’t work, the parts may be out of commission and the recyclers may reduce the offer price to zero, so try to locate the charger and find out whether the item actually works. If it doesn’t show any signs of life, try a different power cable first and if that still doesn’t work, then the recycler may still be able to recycle the device responsibly.
3. Wipe the device – As well as protecting your personal information, you want the testers at the recycling centre to spend as little time as possible refurbishing your device, so delete your data and restore to factory settings in advance of sending it in.
4. Replace the battery – The battery will be one of the main testing points, so if you remember the device having a problem with holding its charge (common on handheld gaming devices and old mobile phones) then replacing the battery with another one could help to retain the item’s value. Check the difference between a working device and non-working device and find any official new batteries on eBay. You might just find that for as little as a fiver, your device will hold charge and work much better.
5. Finally, give it a clean – Get some tech wipes for a couple of pounds and scrub away all the grime. Years of holding and years of sitting in a drawer can attract a serious amount of grime. A clean and working device can go some way towards retaining its value. Get in the cracks and crevices with some folded card or a toothpick and really clean the device. Same for any dust-bunnies that tend to get clogged in the air vents. A compressed air cannister is a great household item that can also prolong the life of PCs and consoles.