Million pound phone mountain – in our bedroom drawers
There’s an ever-growing number of mobile phone recycling firms to choose from, but according to a new survey by Mopay, we’re not using them a lot.
The survey covered 2,000 consumers in the Mobile Recycling Attitudes 2007, finding that 54% of the 18-24 year old so-called mobile generation is hoarding one or more spare mobiles, and 28% stockpiling two or more. The favourite resting place for dead handsets is the bedroom drawer for half, with the majority keeping one handset in case their other one breaks down. But there are other reasons. – 54% have content there they don’t want others to see, including confidential texts, videos or photos.
And there is ignorance. Most don’t know about phone recycling, the hazardous substances contained in mobiles or the money you can get for recycling.
Simon Walsh, co-founder, Mopay, says, “Many people just don’t see phones as something that can be recycled in the same way as paper or plastic, even though they are as likely to re-use an old handset as they are an old plastic bottle. The fact that advertisers spend millions creating an emotional attachment to our phones clearly doesn’t help. And, despite the fact all personal information on recycled handsets is completely wiped, people also seem to fear that their phone secrets will get out, which is totally unfounded.”
Mopay website
