Recycling our old mobile is something we all mean to get round to doing. But when we get our shiny new smartphone home, we can’t really be bothered with the old one, so we chuck it in a drawer and forget about it. It now qualifies as a ‘spare’. It joins the previous generations of ‘spares’ squabbling for space in a drawer with cables, tangled headphones and other electronic debris. By the time we become less obsessed with the shiny new phone and seriously consider disposing of the old one, we assume it’s obsolete and worthless.
This is simply not true. If old, unwanted or broken mobile phones hold no value, why is there such demand from recycling companies for them?
The fact is, most handsets can be refurbished. Statistics show that only about 3 or 4% of phones collected by recycling companies are beyond repair costing more than the phone is worth.
As a phone arrives with a recycling company, it undergoes rigorous testing, starting with a check of its IMEI number to ensure that it’s not been lost or stolen. Then, components such as the keypad are checked. Many phones are then passed to specialist repair centres. Some of these refurbished phones are then issued as replacements by insurance companies to people who claim for loss of, or damage to, their mobile. Others are sent to poorer countries to help people who wouldn’t otherwise have use of a phone to stay in contact with relatives or business contacts.
Even handsets that are beyond repair are worth something. They contain small quantities of metals such as platinum, gold, silver and copper which may end up as jewellery. Batteries contain nickel which can be combined into stainless steel to make saucepans and other metal items. Plastics can be melted down to be made into everyday items such as traffic cones.
So you see, those old forgotten handsets that lurk at the back of cupboards and drawers are really very useful indeed. Why not dig them out, do a good deed for the environment and poorer communities and make a little cash for yourself into the bargain? Why not read the top 5 reasons to recycle your mobile.
