Details on Mobile Phone recycling in the UK - By: Felicity Lightbody

With new features made available every year, the average life span of a mobile phone in the UK is now less than 2 years. Redundant mobile phones amount to almost 65,000 tons in waste each year, seeping hazardous heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and brominates, used as flame retardants, into the environment.

The Challenge

There are an estimated 500 million used mobile phones in the landfills today. Mobile Phone manufacturing companies have recognised the urgent need for recycling of old phones to avoid this environmental hazard, and are changing the way they do business. In the US, for example, all five main national mobile phone carriers are now offering a take-back and exchange programme, allowing consumers to trade in or recycle unwanted mobile phones at any of their retail locations nationwide. In the UK, there are also some efforts underway, such as donating old phones to charity or senior citizen centres or trading in old phones for cash.

The Solution

Environmentally conscious individuals who want to save the planet and some money to boot can earn cash for their old phones that have been deemed unusable by system or feature upgrades. Although it is still a relatively new concept in the UK, there are now many companies available online that offers to recycle or trade in out-dated phones. Consumers can quickly find out how much their old phone is worth by typing in the make and model of their cell phone; they can then choose to send it in by mail or upgrade to a newer model at a discount.

Another option would be to donate your old, unwanted phone to charity. It will either be collected and sent to a funding factory, which then donates the monies to a charity, or it will be gathered by a charity directly for a specific use, such as using them for underprivileged children or senior citizens that otherwise could not afford a phone. Donating via one of these charities could not be easier: you simply download a form and free post label and then ship the phone in the mail. This is a terrific way of getting some tax refunds for your business and to get rid of old and unwanted electronics in a convenient way. Mobile phones that are simply too old to be reused should go to a recycling centre.

Before donating or sending your mobile phone away make sure that you erase any stored information, including all contacts, text messages and incoming or outgoing calls.

Additional information about mobile phone recycling or donation is available online at any cell phone manufacturer's website.

About the Author

Felicity is a part-time journalist, writing occassional columns in the UK on telecommunications and mobile devices. See how much you could save when you recycle your mobile, as well as comparing the price on all the phone recycling companies like Mazuma Mobile at recyclemobilephones.co.uk For more information on this, please visit recyclemobilephones.co.uk Blog.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Felicity-Lightbody/39388

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