Recycle mobile phones

Say hello to hassle-free mobile phone recycling.

young woman delighte with mobile phone young woman delighte with mobile phone

How to recycle mobile phones

Quick-start guide

Icon of a question mark

ASK

Could you refurbish your phone or pass it on to someone who needs it? If your mobile phone is beyond use, remove your SIM card and any memory cards. Then back up and wipe your personal data.

illustration of bag to collect old electrcials for recycling

BAG IT

Find a spare bag to store your old electricals and electronics – and pop the phone in it. This is a great habit that will make your trips to your local recycling point that much easier.

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CHECK

Find your nearest recycling point by popping your postcode into our recycling locator.

Recycling locator
mobile phone recycling on the high street

Where to recycle mobile phones

Retailers will take your old phone

Upgrading? The shop where you’re buying should recycle your old phone for you free of charge. They will make sure your hand set is recycled properly. Some online retailers will send you a freepost envelope or collect your phone from you. Follow their advice on preparing your device to hand it over safely.

Household waste and recycling centres

Many local authority waste and recycling sites have a special bin where you deposit phones for recycling. Check our locator to find your nearest reuse and recycling point for mobile phones. 

Recycling locator

What to do with mobile phones instead of recycling

Check out these options.

Troubleshooting mobile phone

Troubleshoot your mobile phone

Check your user guide – you might find that replacing the battery, updating software or freeing up memory gets you extra time with your phone. 

mobile phone being repaired

Repair your mobile phone

Faulty screens, dusty connections or loose components can be fixed – and you could save yourself money. See our page on repairing electricals.

Repair electronics
woman and man using a mobile phone

Donate your mobile phone

Many charities welcome mobile phones, which they can re-sell or give to people who need them. See our page on donating electricals to charity.

Donate electricals
Man with mobile phone and cash

Sell your mobile phone 

There’s a huge market in second-hand mobile phones. Try Ebay or Gumtree or comparison sites such as Compare and Recycle. You could be quids in.

Compare and Recycle

Keep your data safe when recycling mobile phones and other smart devices

Your mobile phone holds contacts, images, bank details, passwords, messages – all kinds of personal data for your eyes only. So when passing on your phone for recycling or reuse, make sure you back up your data before completely erasing it from your device. See our detailed guide to keeping your data safe so that you can recycle Apple and Android devices with peace of mind.

Download checklist
Hypnocat says bag up your electricals for recycling woman speaking on mobile phone

Look into my eyes

Where to recycle your mobile phone and other electricals

Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled

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