How to recycle your old mobile phone

Mobile phone manufacturers are constantly creating new and improved models. It’s human nature that we want to replace our older, outdated mobile phones once we see these glittery new versions.

Problem is, all these upgrading creates a problem for the environment. When we upgrade to a new mobile phone, we have to decide what to do with our old ones. Often we may leave them untouched in the back of our desk drawer or deep in the recesses of our closets.

Other times, though, we may simply toss our old mobile phones into the garbage. This is a mistake, because these phones are now littering the country’s landfills. Not only that, they can leak dangerous chemicals, such as mercury, lithium and cadmium into the soil. These chemicals can then end up in nearby waterways.

There is a way to prevent this: You can easily recycle your old mobile phone. And depending on how you do it, you can actually earn a bit of extra spending money for your efforts.

You can choose to recycle your old mobile phones in one of two ways: You can contact your local municipality or you can work with a private company.

Many municipalities run their own recycling days when they will collect old, outdated electronics equipment, including mobile phones that would otherwise end up in dumpsters. The municipalities than divert these old unwanted phones from the waste stream, preventing them from ending up in landfills.

Taking advantage of one of these programs is simple: You just have to call your local municipality to find out when its pickup day is. Other municipalities feature drop boxes at public locations where you can simply drop your unwanted mobile phone.

If you’d like a bit of cash for your recycling efforts, though, you may want to work with a mobile phone recycling company.

The good news is that the Internet is dotted with companies that accept old mobile phones for recycling. Simply run a Google search and you’ll turn up dozens of firms all ready to pay you for your unwanted mobile phone.

Some of these companies include Greensource Solutions, envirofone, Recycling Appeal and Mobile Phone Xchange.

Selling your old mobile phone for cash through one of the private sites is a relatively easy process.

First, log on to one of the sites. The site will probably ask you to locate your personal mobile phone brand. After you click on the brand and enter the appropriate information regarding your unwanted mobile phone, the site will tell you how much the company is willing to pay for your old phone.

If you accept that offer, the company will send you a padded envelope. Simply drop your mobile phone into the envelope, mail it back and wait for your cash.

You might wonder what happens to your old mobile phone once you turn it in. It depends on the company with which you’re working, but in most cases, the phones are either sent to people who need mobile phones but can’t afford them or recycled.

This should make you feel good. Not only are you getting some extra spending money for very little work, you’re also protecting the environment and, perhaps, providing a valuable service to someone in need.

It’s surprising, then, that more people don’t take the small amount of time to recycle their old mobile phones. Yes, it’s easier to simply toss your old mobile phone in the trash or leave it in your desk drawer for years.

But it makes much more sense, both financially and environmentally, to investigate how to best recycle your old mobile phone.