Recycling of Old Mobile Phones

Many people find it difficult to decide what they will do with their old mobile phones when they are set to buy a new one. There is a plethora of options available to you. You can decide on selling your old mobile phone in order to raise part of the money needed to get a new one. There are many selling platforms available to anyone who wants to sell his old mobile phone. You can sell to a carrier or the manufacturer of the phone. You can also explore the option of peer-to-peer marketplace such as Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. However, these platforms may be bereaucratic or complex to navigate and this sometimes discourages people from such ventures.

Okay! We understand that you are too busy or that you may not have the resilence of going through this process of disposing of your old mobile phone. You can get rid of your old phone by all means, but never in the trash can - you don't want to be responsible for toxic chemicals leaching into the land. Most re-sellers will take old electronics off your hands including your old mobile phone, charger, earphones and all.

Mobile phones contain a range of materials including metals, plastics and various valuable components, such as silver, which can be extracted and re-used. There are an increasing number of options for reusing and recycling old mobile phones. Up to 80% of a mobile phone is recyclable, so why leave it in the drawer or thinking of sending it to the landfill? Recycle it!

There are many ways to pass on unwanted mobile phones after they have served their purpose but here are a few resources to get you started with your recycling.

• Best Buy (online)
• GameStop (online)
• Staples (online)
• Apple (online)
• EcoATM (at select malls)

There is also a list of national charities that can help you get rid of your old mobile phones. These include:

• Cell Phones for Soldiers
• Hope Phones
• Hope Line Phones

Most charities accept old mobile phones, whether they are working or not. They can raise valuable cash for phones by  passing them on to mobile phone recycling companies. Also, when you buy a new mobile phone in a shop, ask them how you can recycle your old one. Most of them provide postal envelopes which you can use.

There are also other sites on the internet that specializes in the reselling and recycling of old mobile phones. There is no risk in doing this. The process of mobile phone recycling is legal and it is a great way of getting rid of the unwanted phones. If you want to give away your old mobile phone, just tell them the brand and the model of your handset and the other processes will take off from there.

What Happens to the mobile phone when I send them in for recycling?

I know you may be worried about what happens to your mobile phone after you have sent it in for recycling. Getting rid of your old mobile phone is not just about decluttering; there are potentially noxious substances in decaying phones such as their cadmium battery which can infect water system and lead, brominated flame retardants and beryllium which can adversely affect the environment if not disposed of correctly.

So, even if you can't sell it, please don't dispose of your old mobile phone with your household trash. Once the phones are tested and found to be decent, they are shipped abroad and flogged. For example, Envirofones sells phones in the Middle East, Far East, Africa and South America. If it is a particularly high value phone, there is a chance these companies will sell it at eBay to get the most money. Therefore, if you find your phone is high value, as noted above, you may want to consider doing it yourself and cutting off the middleman. If your phone is a low value mobile phone, it is broken down and the parts are sold out for use in the manufacture of new phones or in the repair of other ones.

If you simply want to recycle the battery pack of your phone, you can also do this without stress following the same procedures and methods. If you will rather not recycle your old mobile phone using any of the above, you can dispose of it at most household waste and recycling centers in the containers marked 'small electricals'. You can also pass them on for free at places such as Freecycle and Freegle.

Conclusion

Whatever method you choose to recycle your old mobile phone, you will need to back up your phone and return it to factory settings before handing it off. This will help protect your identity and make sure you keep all your photos and other data and information that you need to switch over to a new device.