Mobile amnesty

ActionAid Recycling Ltd has launched a Mobile Phone Amnesty to promote awareness about electronic waste and raise money for its founding charity, ActionAid.

The company is asking people to donate unused mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in exchange for a chance to win various prizes. Every mobile phone and PDA that is collected generates funds for ActionAid. The company also collects old laptops and printer cartridges as well as selling new printing products, which are collected again for recycling.

Estimates suggest that there are around 90 million handsets left unused or thrown away in the UK. Mobile phones contain many harmful chemicals, such as copper, silver and palladium, which can cause serious damage to plant and wildlife.

The amnesty coincides with the recent introduction of The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which places a financial obligation on manufacturers to collect and re-use electrical goods and also allows consumers to return their electronic waste to distributors free of charge.

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