Companies that recycle mobile phones have agreed a code of practice aimed at thwarting the sale of stolen phones. The firms buy up used mobile phones and sell many of them abroad. Phones stolen in Britain are blocked from UK networks but can still be used on foreign networks. As a result, stolen phones are frequently offered to phone recycling companies. The latest move is aimed at further reducing any incentive for thieves to target mobile phones. Phone recycling firms promote the practice of people digging out their old phones, which on average net the seller around £40. Not only do ... Full Story

Non-profit organization Call2Recycle has launched a battery-recycling challenge for people in the United States. Call2Recycle is the only free programme in the USA that offers to collect and recycle batteries and mobile phones. Call2Recycle recently challenged Americans to join the MyCall2Recycle campaign and help the programme dig up and recycle a million pounds (454 tonnes) of batteries by 1 October. Consumers are being urged to comb through their homes for any old rechargeable batteries and mobile phones. Call2Recycle is asking people to check basements, garages, attics, closets and other storage space. Call2Recycle has a network of 30,000 locations where the public ... Full Story

As National Cell Phone Recycling Week kicks off in the US, the environmentally conscious are being reminded of the benefits of keeping their mobiles away from landfill. Although recycling phone has become more fashionable in recent years, there’s a still a long way to go before it can be safely said that no phones end up on the rubbish tip.   This week, the Environmental Protection Agency is spearheading the National Cell Phone Recycling Week ... Full Story

Thousands of old Apple phones are being recycled by gadget geeks eager to raise some cash for the new model. According to a study by mobile phone price comparison site Sell My Mobile, the iPhone 3G was recycled more than any other phone last month. People trading in the second generation phone are getting an average of £170 in cash back according to the results. For many customers, this money is being put straight towards the new iPhone 4 model. The 16GB and 8GB iPhone 3Gs, along with the third generation Apple phone the 16GB iPhone 3GS, topped the charts when it ... Full Story

According to the results of a new study, mobile phone owners waste over £800 million a year with the wrong contract, and could save even more by recycling old handsets. Over half of these users do not know how to access free minutes or are not aware they could be on a cheaper tariff. The research also found that as the internet becomes more popular and usage of mobile phones increases, eight per cent of individuals are spending way more on top-ups than previously. On average, the study showed that users could save an additional £62 by being more savvy. Furthermore, mobile users are ... Full Story

For those consumers that recently scored the latest iPhone from Apple, a new scheme is allowing mobile users with old mobile handsets to recycle them for donation to soldiers serving abroad. Cell Phones for Soldiers collects working, but unwanted mobile handsets from anyone who has recently purchased a new mobile device. Phones in working order are then recycled so that soldiers abroad can call home to their families. By selling the donated mobile devices to a local recycling company, the ogranisation is able to raise money to purchase phone cards for soldiers living and working abroad. The organisation was founded by two ... Full Story

A new mobile recycling firm, ShP will partner with Middle Eastern retailer Emax in a multi-million pound agreement that will see Emax offer mobile phone recycling for the first time in the area. The consumer mobile phone recycling service will be offered at Emax electronic stores across the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Dubbed 'Cash for Mobiles', the service will allow customers to hand in redundant mobiles in exchange for cash. The collected phones will then be processed and recycled by ShP. Working mobiles will be refurbished and sent out to developing nations. Those that are not able ... Full Story

As Recycle Week takes off on Monday, the theme for the campaign has been announced - 'Love your electricals'. Based on research compiled by Recycle Now, the national recycling scheme, examining people's attitudes towards small electrical devices, such as mobile handsets, MP3 players, and laptops, it was discovered that many hold onto such items long after they use them. Of the respondents, 40 per cent said it was too sad to part with such an item, even once it had been made redundant. Another 41 per cent felt the electronic may come in handy later, and 23 per cent thought the item ... Full Story

A new startup, Plant My Phone, aims to reduce the increasing numbers of redundant mobile handsets being sent to landfill. The new idea calls for mobile users with an old phone to send it in using the firm's paid-postage system. Free postage-paid plastic bags can be picked up in available cities in the US, or a shipping label can be printed out online at the company's website. Use the label to mail in an old mobile phone and the new eco-startup will plant trees with the resulting profit. According to the organisation's website sending in an average mobile phone that is two ... Full Story

In a new report from Heavy Reading Mobile Networks Insider, it states that mobile handset manufactures are continuing to increase efforts to promote environmentally friendly practices, but are being counteracted by customers failing to take advantage of green initiatives. According to the findings of Mobile Handsets: It's Not Easy Being Green, user habits are by far the manufacturer's biggest obstacle when it comes to making the mobile handset sector a green-friendly market. Aileen Arcilla, a research analyst from the project, says that use of recycled materials, reductions in use of toxic materials, and availability of energy efficient chargers are all characteristics ... Full Story

Over 85 million mobile handsets have been rubbished instead of traded in for incentives and hard cash, says a UK consumer group. Consumer Focus, a government backed campaign, said the old mobiles could have ben sold, sent to charity, or recycled. Instead a small survey revealed that 68 per cent of those polled simply held onto an old mobile phone that was not being used. Some said they kept two or three. Now, Consumer Focus is encouraging mobile phone recycling, but also cautioning users to wipe clean any personal data prior to handing the device over. Users should go to the 'settings' ... Full Story

Nokia Oyj and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB have been ranked again as the top two greenest major electronics producers by Greenpeace International. Finnish company Nokia, which remains the number one mobile phone maker in the world, was at the top of Greenpeace International’s quarterly list after reposting that their 2010 mobile phones would be PVC plastic and brominated flame retardant (BFR) free. The companies on Greenpeace’s list are ranked based on use of toxic chemicals, recycled materials and used products, as well as environmental protection. ... Full Story