Don't let your old phone go to waste

TECHNOLOGY moves at such a rate that mobile phones rapidly go out of style.

So it is no surprise that over the years millions of unwanted mobiles have been discarded in the UK.

But not everyone realises that when mobiles are dumped, they are often burned, which releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere.

Mobiles also contribute to the thousands of tonnes of non-biodegradable waste that goes to UK landfill sites every year.

Empty printer cartridges can also be reused — but many of them are also disposed of as normal waste.

Both mobile phones and printer cartridges can be recycled for reuse, thus reducing the environmental burden on landfill sites and offsetting some of the energy consumed in their manufacture.

Devon legal firm Slee Blackwell, which has an office in Queen Street, Exeter, is encouraging people to give it their old mobile phones and printer cartridges to raise money for charity.

The phones can be handed into the reception areas of all five offices, where they are sent to Recycle for Charity.

The not-for-profit company then recycles the phones and cartridges. It keeps some of the money to keep itself going and sends the balance the Devon Community Foundation.

John Hasson, an associate solicitor at Slee Blackwell's Queen Street office, said: "I had heard of some other charities doing it and I am a keen believer that you should do what you can for the environment and every little bit that you do helps. It also helps raise awareness.

"At the same time, we became aware of the Devon Community Foundation, and its Grassroots Challenge means any money it raises is matched by equal funding from the Government.

"I think people are more likely to take part in something if they think it is going to benefit local communities."

Slee Blackwell started collecting phones in January and hopes to run the scheme until September.

John said: "From what I understand, the recycling company says any phone can be recycled — different makes generally fetch different amounts.

"They can be worth £50, or some can be as little as £2.50."

He said the scheme was part of Slee Blackwell's general commitment to be eco-friendly.

"As a firm, we are very conscious of the environment and cut down on the amount of consumables we have," he said. "We try to cut down on paper and to use electronic communications as much as possible."

Once sent to the recycling company, the mobile phones are stripped down for reusable components and precious metals such as gold and platinum are taken out of them.

John said: "There are an awful lot of precious metals in there and a lot of the components can be reused, so less mining needs to take place.

"Receiving metals that have already been refined uses a lot less energy than actually trying to melt the minerals out of the iron ore. So, it's more energy efficient to take metals out of existing products in a useable form.

"Batteries are very bad because they contain mercury and various acids that then leech into the soil, whereas if you send them to a recycling company, they make sure the acids can be safely disposed of.

"If they are dismantled in a safe environment, there is less chance of anything escaping and polluting the soil."

John has just changed his mobile phone and plans to take the old model in to be recycled. He said: "I'd rather know that something positive was happening with it and that it was being disposed of safely and was raising funds for a worthy cause."