What to do with old mobile phones

Technology is an ever changing landscape with new exciting inventions emerging each year. This often means that a lot of us feel the need to upgrade our tech, especially our mobile phones, every 18 months to two years. It’s also estimated that by the end of 2020, over 1.57 billion smartphones will be sold to end users. This means there are a lot of old mobile phones and chargers lying around in drawers, cupboards and other areas of the house.

But what can you do with your unused, unwanted or broken handsets? You can help the environment and earn some cash by recycling your mobile phone. This guide will walk you through the best things you can do with your old mobile phone and how to safely dispose of them.

Recycle your old mobile phone

Mobile phones contain substances that could be extremely harmful to the environment or people if they are disposed of incorrectly. Some contain materials, like mercury and lead that have been linked to causing cancer in humans and could be incredibly dangerous if they are released into the environment. Although modern handsets contain considerably less harmful materials than mobile phones used to, they can still be incredibly damaging if they are disposed of incorrectly. That’s why it’s so important that mobile phones are recycled responsibly.

How to recycle your old mobile phone

Mazuma Mobile will pay you for your old handsets and take care of mobile phone recycling on your behalf. Simply register on the site and send us your handset via freepost. Whether you are selling an old Samsung mobile or selling an old iPhone, we accept most makes and models of phones. If you have more than 10 handsets to sell, we will arrange for a free courier collection for them, we’ll then pay you for your mobiles on the day we receive them. If you would like to find out more how our service works, you can check out our handy guide.

How are mobile phones recycled?

When you send your phone to Mazuma Mobile we will go through our WEEE Treatment Facility where they are screened and prepared for reuse. Depending on the make, model and condition of the phones, they will be distributed to one of our trusted reuse partners.

The phones will then be given a fresh lease of life. For some that will mean nothing more than a good clean and polish and for others it may involve extensive repair. A large percentage will get fully reconditioned and look like new again ready for a new home.

Is it safe to recycle mobile phones?

Recycling mobile phones with a trusted company like Mazuma Mobile is completely safe to do as we will handle the removal of the harmful chemicals for you, ensuring that they don’t do damage to fellow humans or the environment.

By recycling mobile phones in creative ways, like those we will talk about below, you are also saving tech from unnecessarily going to landfill and polluting the environment.

What happens to recycled mobile phones?

Depending on demand, we will keep track of global market demand for particular makes and models. Selling to the right market means we can achieve the best price for your phone and in turn pay you the most for it.

Usually though, 90% of the phones we receive stay in the country as the demand for second hand mobile phones continues to grow in the UK. Our UK reuse partners include mobile phone retailers, repair centres and insurance companies who make good use of the refurbished tech.

A number of our handsets are also reconditioned and redistributed in various overseas markets via our trusted network of reuse partners. Mobile phones have become indispensable in helping to drive social change and economic growth in developing countries.

How much is my old phone worth?

Your old phone could be worth over £200 depending on the make, model and age of the device. Although, a few factors could affect the price received for the device. For example the newer the device, the more likely you will receive more money for it, scratches or a broken screen will lower the price and depending on the model, some are worth more than others which will ultimately affect the price quoted.

If you would like to find out how much your device is worth you can easily search for your device to get an instant quote. We make sending your device to us simple and easy, so you can get your cash as soon as possible. Find out how in our handy guide.

Still unsure why you should recycle your device with us? Here’s 10 other reasons besides saving the environment why you should recycle with Mazuma Mobile.

Broken Phone? Don’t worry, you can still get cash for your broken phone!

Even if your device has a smashed screen or is water damaged, we still could take your mobile phone off your hands! We understand that phones can be damaged or broken in all manner of ways. As long as the phone isn’t snapped in half, we’ll likely be able to take it and recycle it. By selling your broken phone to us, you are responsibly recycling your handset, doing your bit to help the environment while making a bit of cash.

How to safely dispose of old mobile phones

The easiest way to safely dispose of your old mobile phone is to send it to us to recycle and refurbish the device for you. Our WEEE Treatment Facility is specially designed to handle the recycling and refurbishment of mobile devices in line with industry standards. This means you can be assured that we will reuse or dispose of your device on your behalf in the safest and most responsible way possible.

If we can’t accept your phone for whatever reason we will send the device back to you and you should take the device to your local recycling centre for them to safely dispose of the device for you.

However you choose to safely dispose of your old mobile phone, you also need to take into consideration your own safety when it comes to your personal information. Before sending your old mobile phone off to be recycled ensure you have done the following:

• Remove Your SIM Card from the Phone: Mobile phone SIM cards often contain a lot of personal information like addresses, phone numbers and old text messages. Make sure you remove your SIM before you send your phone to recycle. Also, unless you’re switching mobile networks, you’ll need your SIM card for your new phone. If you’re going to dispose of your old SIM card, make sure you cut through the metal chip before you throw it away to ensure that no one else can get their hands on your personal details.

• Remove Your Memory Card from the Phone: Many modern handsets use Micro SD cards to store photos, videos and downloads. This memory card should be removed from your mobile before recycling. The card can then be used in your new mobile or in other devices like digital cameras or video recorders.

• Perform a Factory Reset: Over the course of its usage, it’s likely that you used your smartphone to store a lot of personal information that may contain the login information for your email or social media accounts, and the web browser may still contain your browsing history. By performing a factory reset on your phone, you will remove all this personal information.

• Remove the PIN Lock: If you used a PIN code or lock screen to protect your mobile, you should remove it before recycling your phone. This will enable your mobile to be used by other people in the future.

For more information about how to remove personal information from your old mobile phone use our free Data Delete Tool.

Other Creative Ways to recycle your old mobile without selling it

Some people might prefer to keep hold of their old phone, especially if it is still in working order, but rather than it just lying around the house you can do a number of creative DIY projects to make it more useful.

Something to note however, if you do change or modify the phone it will reduce the amount of money you could get from the device later down the line. So make sure you check out how much you could earn from your mobile phone before trying out one of the following ideas:

• Give the phone to your children as their first phone: In these modern times, it’s not uncommon for children to ask for mobile phones for their birthday or Christmas. However parents don’t want to fork out thousands of pounds on a new phone which could potentially be damaged within moments of it being unwrapped. Passing down an older phone that still works could be a great compromise as the tech is still being used but it won’t matter as much if it gets broken.

• Use as a mobile hotspot: Turning your old smartphone into a mobile hotspot is a pretty simple and useful thing to do. Click Settings on your smartphone and select the “Wireless & Networks” option from the Settings. Look for the “Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot” option and tap onto the button until the check mark appears. By doing this, you will automatically turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot feature on your smartphone, turning the device into a wireless access point which you can take anywhere with you to connect your normal phone to the internet.

• Use it as a festival phone: Festivals are notorious for being busy, muddy and wet places which you probably don’t want to take a brand new phone to in case it gets damaged. Instead, why not take your old phone with you so if it does get damaged it won’t leave you out of pocket.

• Turn it into a smart home controller: Smart homes are becoming more and more popular with the rise in smart home technology from industry leaders such as Google and Apple. But it can become a seriously dizzying project just remembering all the various voice commands and apps involved, to the point that you might even want a dedicated piece of hardware for controlling it all. If you have a more recent smartphone lying around, this could be the perfect solution for it.

• Turn into a permanent baby monitor: For those concerned parents out there, you can easily turn your old smartphone into a baby monitor as long as your old phone still has a working camera and wifi connection. There are a number of apps out there that will help you with this so you can confidently keep your eye on your little one while you’re out and about.