According to a survey from a firm that buys second-hand mobile
phones, about 50% of users are missing out on up to £200 in cash
for old phones.
In a survey of 1,000 people
carried out by Fonebankmore than half of people either can't be
bothered to recycle their phones or thought it was too
difficult.
According to the study, 23% of respondents threw old mobile
phones away and 28% kept them.
More than 90% said they would recycle their old phones for
cash.
Mark Harrison, director at Fonebank, said: with a recession and
Christmas imminent, trading in old phones made more sense than
ever.
"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. "Not only is
this bad news for the environment, it's also throwing money away.
Most people are amazed to discover that their old phone can easily
be recycled for cash."
He said depending on the make and model an old handset could be
worth up to £200.
A total of 53% of those surveyed said they knew that throwing
phones away was bad for the environment. Another 42% did not, and
5% hadn't thought about it.
The report found that 34% of people owned one unused mobile
phone, 36% owned two, and 19% owned three or more.