According to a recent survey carried out by one of the World’s biggest handset manufacturers, Nokia only 3% of people would recycle their old mobiles despite the fact that many still have old handsets lying around in their homes.

The survey results was based on interviews with over 6,500 people in 13 different countries around the world and was conducted to help Nokia find out about people’s attitudes towards recycling.

The research found that three out of four people wouldn’t even consider recycling their old phones and nearly half still were not aware that recycling was even an option.

If each of the 3 billion mobile phone owners in the world sent just one handset in for recycling, over 240,000 tonnes of raw materials could be saved and greenhouse gases reduced.

Recent research carried out in the UK shows that recycling rates have more than doubled over the past 5 years which is great news for the environment. UK Mobile phone recycling rates also have risen in the last couple of years, although many people will not consider recycling old electronics without some form of incentive.

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A recent study conducted by ICR Communications Research has found that only 17% of 18 – 34 year olds plan to recycle their old mobile phones. In comparison the poll found that 32% of those aged 35+ and as much as 39% of the over 55’s would recycle their handsets correctly.

The poll found that 61% of all age groups would recycle or donate their old phones with 35% of respondents give tem away to charity or a recycling centre and 26% sending them into a mobile recycling site.

The results suggest that more people still need educating about the environmental benefits of recycling old mobile phones and other electronic devices, particularly in the younger generations.

Although mobile phones generally have a lifespan of over 6 years the study also found that 77% of 18-34 year olds would upgrade within 2 years mainly because they think that their phones will be lost or break within that time frame, surprisingly only 19% said it was because they wanted the latest models.

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For many years, householders in the UK have had no problem with throwing food waste in the dustbin as it was assumed that it is all bridgeable and would simply rot away at landfill. However recent research by scientists has suggested that as food waste breaks down it releases methane gas into the air which is very bad for the environment.

This recent research has led to many companies and organizations’ looking for ways to cut down on people’s food waste and ensure it is disposed of correctly.

One way of cutting down on your own food waste is by making sure that leftovers are reused so either eat them on the same day or freeze them for consumption at a later date. Love Food Hate Waste is a great site to visit to find some great recipes that can be made out of leftover food.

Another option would be to take your leftovers down to your local soup kitchen and donate them to help feed the homeless.

It’s estimated that every family in Britain throws away around £420 of food per year, this works out at a staggering £12 billion worth of food being thrown in the bin.