| As the number of people who spend time online has | | | | and the handset may eventually get lost, hidden away |
| increased, so has the use of web services that are | | | | in a drawer, in a cupboard or at the very worst, |
| unique and ones that mirror what is available on the | | | | thrown away in the bin. |
| high street. Mobile recycling websites that allow old | | | | Mobile recycling websites give people who have just |
| mobile phones to be exchanged for cash are unique; | | | | got new phones, or just want to get rid of their old |
| you won't find dedicated mobile recycling shops on the | | | | ones, which may be many in number, a way to |
| high-street that offer the level of service that the web | | | | exchange them for cash, to ensure they are recycled |
| does. | | | | and dispose of them correctly. These websites exist |
| The demand for new phones with the latest | | | | because mobiles contain valuable components that |
| technology has created a surge in popularity and as a | | | | can be reused or recycled. Broken or faulty handsets |
| consequence, a huge question of waste and what to | | | | can be dismantled and the working parts salvaged. |
| do with the out of date phones. People who use their | | | | These can then be used to produce fully working |
| phones everyday are likely to upgrade within two | | | | phones. |
| years, often less than this depending on what their | | | | Other phones may be very damaged but there is still |
| contract is. They will be offered a new handset | | | | value in some of the components. For example every |
| included in the price of their monthly payment. After | | | | mobile phone contains a small amount of gold. This can |
| the end of the contract the mobile phone company will | | | | be extracted from the phone, melted down and sold |
| offer them a free phone with all the latest features to | | | | on to be reused in the manufacture of new phones. |
| entice the customer into renewing a 12, 18, or 24 month | | | | The rest of the handset components are recycled or |
| contract, possibly offering more minutes of talk time or | | | | disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. |
| text too to get them to stay. | | | | There are a lot of these websites in existence now |
| After some hesitation then eventually being won over | | | | which is a good thing for the customer looking to sell |
| by the enticing offer, they will receive the shiny new | | | | their old mobile phone because there is competition to |
| phone to their doorstep and after 14 days will enter | | | | offer the best price. They make it easy to recycle a |
| into a new contract. Within those 14 days the | | | | phone by offering a box to input the phone make or |
| customer gets to try out the new phone to see what | | | | model number. After finding the phone a price will be |
| it is like, to live with it for a while. In this time they slowly | | | | displayed on how much they will pay. |
| forget about their old phone, with the old technology | | | | |