The research, which was commissioned to discover how much the UK had embraced mobile recycling, showed that half of the population has a unused handset in their homes with 14% having four or more old or unused mobiles in draws or cupboards. This equates to almost 50 million unused phones in homes in the UK.
Andrew Beckett, Co-founder and Commercial Director of CompareMyMobile.com says: “Whilst you can understand people holding onto one spare phone for an emergency, we were astonished that more than a quarter of the public have three or four unused phones at home. People don’t realise that the old Nokia or Samsung in a drawer is worth up to £100. In difficult economic times, people should check what unused handsets are worth.”
“We know that a lot of phones end up in landfill because people think they are worthless. But this can harm the environment and means the precious metals and other components in the phone cannot be reused. Whether for financial or environmental reasons, users should always arrange to recycle their unused mobiles.”
The research demonstrates the lack of knowledge about the recycling value of handsets with 60% of respondents freely admitting they had no idea what an old phone was worth. Beckett continues: “Every phone should be recycled – it is the only way to ensure the safe disposal of the device. The network operators and manufacturers need to work much harder to inform the public of the options available.”
CompareMyMobile.com is an independent price comparison site that provides free information on the value of a used mobile phone from more than 40 recycling companies. All recycling partners are comprehensively checked for reliability, ensuring that the customer gets the best possible price and customer experience for their old handset.
“With BlackBerry and HTC devices typically worth between £50 and £150, there is no reason not to recycle. Even the classic Nokia N95 will get you afternoon tea at the Ritz Hotel.”
CompareMyMobile.com works with leading brands like Mazuma and Envirofone as well and many other businesses including mobile networks like Vodafone. Independent user ratings mean if a company does not deliver, CompareMyMobile.com ceases its association.