Don't leave them sitting around your house, find out how you can recycle your old mobile phone and count the cash.
It's estimated that 90 million unused mobile phones are kept in drawers and cupboards across the UK and, considering the money that could be made from them, this is a huge waste .
Trading in your old mobile phone is a quick and easy way to make some cash and some companies boast giving you as much £100 for an old handset.
It’s surprisingly easy to do; most companies offering this service are web based so all you have to do is take your pick of the websites. Most sites will give you a price instantly after you have typed your model. You will then normally be sent a jiffy bag to send your phone in and have no postage costs to pay. However, most sites will not take responsibility for non-delivery so it might be worth considering sending it by recorded delivery which will insure it up to £32 and cost 70p.
It’s really worth shopping around as the prices offered across different companies do vary. For example a working Sony Ericsson W810i will get you £23.03, £25 and £30 on the websites envirofone.com, recycool.org and fonebank.com respectively. A working Nokia N95 on the same sites will get you £80 on recycool.org, £106.92 on envirofone.com and £125 on fonebank.com. Big companies such as Tesco, Argos and British Gas also offer credit, often greater than cash value, for recycled handsets.
If you seem to be getting quite high offers for your phone you could think about selling it on Ebay. Many of these companies would sell it there anyway, by doing it yourself you cut out the middle man and earn more money.
Bear in mind that not all phones are going to get you a particularly good price. The amount you will get depends on several things such as how old the handset is, how rare it is and whether it is damaged in any way. Sometimes all it takes to get a better price is to replace the battery. But if your phone is not working all is not lost, although you will not get as much money for it you will still be able to get some cash for it.
It is important that any phone you send in belongs to you, some companies will not accept a phone without its individual security code. And if can be proven that the phone is stolen it will be recycled without payment.
For the charitable this is also an opportunity to donate to various different causes. Some websites will donate to charities such as the British Red Cross and Save the Children for every phone they are sent.
Ignoring all financial concerns it is vital for the environment that phones are recycled. Although mobiles are relatively small they contain highly toxic chemicals such as Cadmium. Cadmium is a poisonous and carcinogenic substance would leak into and contaminate soil if it was put in a landfill site. EU legislation means that in the future such chemicals will not be used in the manufacture of mobile phones. However for the time being these toxins are a potentially huge problem.
The phones you send in to any of the companies whether for cash, charity or just to recycle it will end up in a variety of places. Some will be refurbished and resold either within the UK or abroad in developing nations where your obsolete phone will be greatly appreciated. If recycled it could become a sleeping policeman, frisbee or a printer cartridge.
But remember that sometimes the easiest may well be just to sell your old phone to a friend or relative.
