Half of Brits recycle old electronics

Green issues taking hold in the UK

Ian Williams, vnunet.com 20 May 2008

Just under half of UK residents claim to recycle electronic waste such as mobile phones, toasters and kettles, according to a recent study by T-Mobile.

The survey found that just one in 20 Brits class themselves as 'green', and that 58 per cent admit that, although they do a bit for the environment, they could do more.

Three quarters of respondents claim to use low-energy light bulbs in their homes, and nearly the same number save energy by turning off electronic equipment rather than leaving it on standby.

Generally the UK scores highly when it comes to green behaviour at home, but it looks like more could be done to recycle gadgets and appliances.

Some 88 per cent of respondents recycle household waste, according to the survey. The over 55s came up trumps, with nine out of 10 describing themselves as committed household waste recyclers.

However, it is not just the oldies who are environmentally conscious. Some 60 per cent of respondents believe that children and teenagers have the best knowledge of green issues.

The most likely reasons for this were cited as education and youth media's focus on green issues.

Furthermore, 42 per cent of respondents believe that children and teenagers have a good knowledge of green issues because they are genuinely concerned about changes to the environment within their lifetime.

"It is encouraging to see that so many Brits are doing their bit for the environment," said Allison Murray, corporate responsibility manager at T-Mobile.

"But we know that big businesses should be doing as much as possible to reduce their impact on the planet, as well as encouraging their customers to do the same."

The research was commissioned by T-Mobile to highlight its mobile phone reuse and recycling scheme.

"We are making it as easy as possible for customers to do their bit for the environment with the help of our phone recycling scheme," explained Murray.

"Anyone with an old phone can pick up a recycling bag at a T-Mobile store, and customers receive one automatically in their new phone box.

"All they need to do is remove the Sim card, put the old handset inside the recycling bag and post it to T-Mobile free of charge."

T-Mobile said that the old phones are either refreshed and resold in emerging markets or broken down and recycled. In return, T-Mobile gives each customer, or a charity of their choice, up to £80 per handset.

Although wiped during the refreshment cycle, customers are also encouraged to make sure the device is formatted before sending it in to ensure that no personal information is compromised.

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