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.