What to Do with Old Mobile Phones
As the ever growing pressure to save our planet
continues to rise, the need to recycle our unwanted produce becomes more
important. Most people now have recycle bins at their home and there are
lots of local points nowadays where unwanted items can be deposited for
environmentally safe disposal. It's becoming more apparent now that one
of contributors to the high levels of landfill comes from electronic
goods, one of these being mobile phones. Recycling mobile phones is a
growing industry due to the huge numbers of unused or unwanted phones
gathering dust in drawers and cupboards. In the UK, the average mobile
phone user changes their phone every 18 months, which means that more
than 18 million phones are purchased each year. The amount of these
which get recycled is reported to be less than 15%, meaning the unwanted
'mobile phone mountain' is growing everyday. This vast amount of waste
has led to the number of unused phones in the UK to 90million phones at
an estimated value of more than £1Billion
Why should I recycle my mobile? The answer is quite simple really.
Firstly, recycling an old mobile will reduce landfill enormously. Some
batteries in mobile phones contain precious metals such as cadmium and
mercury amongst others, which if sent to landfill can cause soil
contamination. The leakage from one battery would be enough to
contaminate 600,000 liters of water. Secondly, anyone that wants to
recycle their mobile phone has the option to take cash or voucher
payment for their phone. This is great news for individuals, clubs,
schools or small organizations looking to earn a bit of extra money for
themselves.
The process of recycling a phone could not be simpler and works in the
following way. The user signs up for FREE to the recycling company, with
no obligation to trade a phone. A welcome pack will be sent through the
post containing all the necessary details and packaging to send your
phone in. Use the website to find your phone from the lists provided and
determine its trade in value. If you wish to trade or donate a phone,
simply follow the instructions and post the phone in the FREEPOST
packaging provided. Once the company has received your phone, they will
check it over and would then contact you and inform you that payment
will be made to you. Every person that signs up will have online access
to check the process status of their mobile. Having an account means you
can simply log back in next time you have another phone to trade and
repeat the process. It's easy and above all it's totally free of charge.
What happens to my phone? The phones are assessed by the company, which
will then decide what to do with each individual phone. Some will be
reused in developing countries, some will be broken down into spares and
others will be recycled for future products.
This is a win situation for all involved in the process. The user gets
paid for something they don't want and the levels of waste and pollution
are reduced due to the recycling process.
About the author
Author has internet marketing interests in mobile phone recycling online games, consumer electronics and travel.