Don't Throw Away Your Old Mobile Phone

Mobile phones are commonplace these days. In fact a whopping 86% of the adult population in the UK now have mobile phone. Many of those people who do use a mobile phone have a contract. Having a contract means that, for better or worse, you’re entitled to an upgrade once a year. So, if you get a shiny new phone, what do you do with the old one? Well, there are a few things you can do actually. One thing you definitely shouldn’t do is chuck it away.

Your mobile phone could be useful even if it’s not in great condition or doesn’t work anymore. Many mobile phones are made of toxic materials and mobiles also contain many useful components that can be used in other ways. It’s estimated that 90 million phones are languishing in UK homes unwanted and unused. Time to dig yours out if you have one!

Ask Around

If you ask around it’s likely there will be someone who wants a new phone but doesn’t want to sign up for a contract. Your pay-as-you-go pals will be glad of an upgrade themselves. If you don’t know anyone who needs one offer the phone up on a giveaway site such as Freecycle.

If the phone is still in good condition and working you may be able to sell it on an online auction site or at a car boot sale. You will have a better chance of selling the phone if you still have the original instruction book and charger.

Mobile Phone Recycling Schemes

There are lots of companies these days that ask people to give their unwanted mobile handsets in for them to re-use. Some companies will even buy the handset from you for quite a good sum of money, depending on the condition of your mobile. The schemes are run by both charities and commercial companies.

Some schemes recondition the phones so that they can be re-sold as a cheaper alternative to a brand new phone. Others pass them on to developing countries to offer a low cost way of communicating.

There are a few schemes throughout the UK where unwanted mobiles are reconfigured so that they only dial 999. They are then given out for free as emergency alarms for domestic abuse victims. The phones are programmed so that pressing any key will dial 999 and they also allow incoming messages and calls.

Handsets Which No Longer Work

If handsets are tested and found to be no longer useful as phones they can be dismantled and the parts can be re-used in many ways.

The plastic components of phones often go on to be used in items such as frisbees and traffic cones!

The metal component and batteries are also useful for grinding down and recycling or fixing and re-using. Every part of a mobile phone, even Sim cards, screens and battery connections can be re-used or recycled in some way.

There are so many ways that mobiles can be re-used to avoid sending them to landfill so there really is no reason to ever throw one in the bin. Get looking at the back of those drawers and get your old mobile back in circulation!