It is estimated that an average of four mobile phones lay unused in every household in the UK and the numbers are increasing. Considering many people upgrade their handset every 12 – 18 months, that’s a lot of redundant mobiles to dispose of. So what can we do to help reduce the impact of the disposal of these phones on the environment?
Basically, there are two options available to anyone wishing to dispose of an old phone in an environmentally-friendly way: Re-use or recycle with Cash For Phones.
Let’s look at re-using first. You don’t need your old phone any more and your mates certainly don’t want your old cast-offs; they have their own trendy phones. So how do you get it to someone who can make use of it?
The answer is simply to sell it to one of the myriad of companies who deal in used mobile phones. Fixed installation lines in developing countries are often way too expensive for ordinary people to afford, or quite simply non-existent in many areas. These companies send unwanted phones to countries such as China, Africa, Pakistan and India where they help people to stay in touch and develop businesses, helping to sustain local economies.
So, on to recycling. When old handsets and batteries are condemned to landfill, the decaying phones break down and can release poisonous chemicals into the surroundings. Recycling prevents this danger to our health and environment.
Old handsets also contain precious metals. When a phone is recycled, these can be retrieved and re-used, reducing the impact of mining for these metal on our planet.
Both re-using and recycling help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced during the manufacturing process of new handsets.
Armed with this information, why not send your phone to a company who can recycle it safely for you, make yourself a little cash and get a nice warm, fuzzy feeling inside?
