According to mobile phone trade-in website FoneBank, only 20% of UK consumers are recycling their mobiles but those that do can recycle their old mobiles for cash.
A survey it conducted to find out what people did with their mobile found that 28% put them away in a drawer while 23% simply threw them away.
"It's crazy that a lot of people out there are still just chucking their phones in the bin when they no longer have any use for them," said Mark Harrison, director of Fonebank.
The need to recycle electronic devices such as phones, PDAs and digital music players is more than just a financial one as many contain materials that can be harmful to the environment.
The main problem lies with the batteries used to power the phones, some of which contain toxic substances such as cadmium, which can contaminate the water table.
Mobile phones now come under the WEEE directive, a piece of European legislation which aims to reduce the amount of electronic waste that ends up in landfill sites.
It requires member nations to collect and recycle the equivalent of 4kg of e-waste for every person living in the country.
Manufacturers, importers and retailers of electronic equipment are obliged to put systems in place that allow customers to recycle their obsolete devices free of charge although households are under no obligation.
If you brought your old mobile to ABCOM you would be doing the right thing with regards to the environment and could earn yourself a bit of money! We have recently sent off mobiles to a company that works along side charities, such as Breast Cancer Campaign, and the money made from donating mobiles goes straight to the charity.
So, it is worth it to not just throw your unused mobile in the bin!
