Most of us have one or two old phones lying around, and if you happen to live in a family, you might have even more of them. While you might initially have kept the old one ‘just in case’, or perhaps because you were a bit attached to it, you’ve slowly come to realize that it’s taking up space, and it’s pretty much worthless junk. Because it’s never a good idea to throw a phone away you can consider recycling it as a more environmentally responsible way to get rid of your old phone. We’ll talk about how to do that, and alternatively, how you can check to see if anyone will pay you for older phone models as well. Let’s get started.
How to Recycle Your Old Phone Safely, & Responsibly
Why Recycle?
Before we talk about where to recycle; congratulations on your decision to recycle. Recycling keeps thousands of pounds of toxic waste out of landfills each year and decreases the strain on the environment and on human health. Because there are more than 60 million unused phones at large in the UK, choosing to recycle rather than throw away can definitely benefit the environment. There are many reasons that phones are toxic to the environment, starting with the batteries.
Donate to the Red Cross
One of the best and easiest ways to recycle your old phone is actually to donate it to the British Red Cross foundation. Their website, Recycle4Charity.co.uk allows you to donate your phone to benefit the Red Cross Association. The process is relatively simple as all you have to do is register on the site, and then put your phone in the post. If you have more than 50 items to post, you can also request a pickup box, and someone will eventually come around to collect it for you. The goal is to keep electronics out of landfills while benefiting charities and children, so this is definitely a worthy cause to consider. The Red Cross then rehomes these phones, and typically resells them for as much as £30 each. The funds then go to benefit international programs including first aid training, and water purification in Asia.
Apple Reuse & Recycle Programs
If you have an old iPhone lying around then you can send it in to Apple to have them dispose of it safely. The Apple Reuse and Recycle Program offers you the ability to send in any model of iPhone or iPod with a free post package or your own package, so that the company can responsibly recycle the materials inside. In some cases, you may qualify for a 10% discount coupon to use in Apple’s store. You can also take any Apple device, including an old iPhone into an Apple Store to recycle it there if you prefer not to use the post.
Find a WEEE Bank
The UK offers a number of electronic goods recycling banks known as Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations Banks or WEEE for short. This organization has a number of banks located around the UK that you can find using their locator page on the website. Keep in mind that not all banks recycle everything, so it may be a good idea to call the location in advance to check.
Recycle for Cash
If you don’t want to recycle your old phone to a charity or to be stripped and taken apart for material then you may be able to recycle your phone for cash. There are a couple of websites that offer cash for your mobile phone, so you can make something off of a previous investment rather than just losing money. In this case, you tell the website the make, model, and condition of the phone, and then they tell you how much they can pay you. If the rate sounds better than getting nothing, then they send you a free post package and you can ship it to them. From there, you just wait to get your money. This is essentially a form of recycling, as it is very similar to what the Red Cross does, except you benefit more from the deal.
There are plenty of ways to recycle your old phone; you just have to look around. The government offers a couple of different recycling programs that you can look into, many charities offer recycling or donation programs, and of course, you can always choose to trade your old phone in for cash rather than giving it away. With all of the options available, your old phone should be out of your life in no time.
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