Earlier this month, the European Parliament said that under the WEEE directive, manufacturers will be responsible for the recycling of products when they reach the end of their life. And as Comet says that more than 90 million old phones are being “hoarded, unused, in cupboards and drawers”, the scheme enables the retailer to prepare for the directive by making it easier for people to recycle their old phones.
Under the scheme, Comet will provide free pre-paid envelopes for people to send their old phones for recycling. Although the envelopes will only be available in Comet stores, the scheme will cover all mobile phones whether or not they were bought from Comet.
The phones will be sent to electronics recycling company XS tronix. XS tronix has been running a mobile phone recycling scheme for Tesco since mid November and during that time has recovered and recycled over 90,000 phones. XS tronix is currently receiving 1,000 old phones a day.
Scott Keiller, environment and public affairs manager for Comet, said: “As a leading retailer of electrical products, we believe that it is our responsibility to introduce initiatives which help to limit the impact of our business on the environment. We are delighted to now be able to offer people such an easy and accessible way to dispose of their old mobile phones in a manner which is environmentally sound and also helps to raise funds for one of the UK’s leading charities.”
India
A spokeswoman for XS tronix said that about 25% of the phones that they receive are repaired and sold to countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and South America. A small number are also sold back into the UK as second hand items. She said: “If possible, we repair the phones and clean the front and backs. The repaired phones are then sent to the developing world including India and Uganda where they are sold as second hand items. People in Uganda can't afford a new phone but they can afford a second hand one.”
And similar to varying demand for different types of clothing that is collected in the UK and sold on in the developing world, XS tronix said that different countries prefer different makes and colours of mobile phone. A spokeswoman said: “For example, Eastern Europeans don't really care for the multi-colour Nokias, they only want black.”
XS tronix does not recycle phones themselves, but breaks them down into their component parts. The metals including copper, silver, gold and palladium are extracted and the plastics are recycled. The company also ensures that the dangerous components in the batteries are disposed of safely including lead, mercury, magnesium, nickel and cadium.
Customers who recycle their old phones can choose either for Comet to make a donation of up to 5 to Macmillan Cancer Relief or to receive a reduction of 5 off the price of a new mobile phone purchased from Comet.
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