With technology moving forwards at a rate of knots, many of us replace our mobile phones every couple of years or so. But what do you do with your old mobile phone and can it be recycled?
Here are some things to consider when deciding what to do with your mobile phone once you no longer need it:
- Give it to a family member
- Donate it to charity
- Sell it on eBay or via a local selling Facebook group
- Give it away on freecycle or a local Facebook group
- Take it to a high street shop, some places such as Game or Cash Convertors will pay you for your old phone.
- Exchange it as money off of your new mobile phone.
Before you pass your phone on, ensure you have deleted all personal information and restore it to factory settings.
If your mobile phone is too old to sell on or give away, or it’s in poor condition then you may want to consider recycling.
Recycling your Mobile Phone
A mobile phone is made up of several different types of material, including plastic, metals and individual components, some of which are valuable enough to be re-used. Over 80% can be recycled in some way so it’s definitely better to recycle that simply throw it away to sit in landfill for years to come.
Again, make sure your personal data has been wiped from your mobile phone just to be on the safe side. A recycling centre may offer this service as it’s actually very difficult to completely eradicate your personal information from a device.
Many recycling schemes will re-use various parts from phones, breaking them down into separate components, many of which go into new electronic devices.
Whilst at Recycling Your IT we are unable to recycle individual phones, we can do this in bulk or if you are already having old electrical equipment recycled with us. If your mobile phones are business use, then it is even more important to ensure data is properly wiped on all devices prior to the re-use / recycling process.
Find out more about our Mobile Phone Recycling Service.