A recent report by telecoms analysts Ovum shows that recycling in the UK has doubled from 4 million in 2008 to 8 million in 2009. However, UK mobile phone recycling is becoming increasingly financially-driven rather than solely for environmental benefits. There has been a significant increase in competition, particularly from commercial recyclers that has put charities, other fund raisers and schemes from the mobile operators themselves under pressure.
Just 10% of the mobiles sent for recycling have been melted down and the report suggests that this can be attributed to the increased competition among recycling schemes and growing awareness by consumers of the value of their handsets. Rather than hang onto them, canny consumers are upgrading and then trading thir phones in while they still have a high residual value.
With the increase in phones available for recycling, mobile phone recycling companies are vying with one another to emphasise their environmental credentials in diverting phones from landfill. Given also that most phones are shipped to the developing world, recyclers are drawing attention to the economic and social benefits offered to these countries by enabling people to communicate who would otherwise not be able to do so because of not having access to fixed phone lines.