Unused Mobile Phones in UK Homes Worth £1billion - Reports

There are nearly 50 million unused mobile phones in the United Kingdom, worth around £1bn ($1.6bn), according to a mobile phone recycling service website, CompareMyMobile.

The research found that half of the population has a unused handset in their homes with 14 per cent having four or more old or unused mobiles in draws or cupboards. This equates to almost50 million unused phones in homes in the UK.

The Co-founder and Commercial Director, CompareMyMobile, Mr. Andrew Beckett, said, "Whilst you can understand people holding onto one spare phone for an emergency, we were astonished that more than a quarter of the public have three or four unused phones at home. People don't realise that the old Nokia or Samsung in a drawer is worth up to £100. In difficult economic times, people should check what unused handsets are worth."

The research demonstrates the lack of knowledge about the recycling value of handsets with 60 per cent of respondents freely admitting they had no idea what an old phone was worth.

Beckett said, "Every phone should be recycled — it is the only way to ensure the safe disposal of the device. The network operators and manufacturers need to work much harder to inform the public of the options available."

CompareMyMobile is an independent price comparison site that provides information on the value of a used mobile phone from more than 40 recycling companies

-Punch