A recent survey carried out in the USA by ABI Research has found that only 5% of people that recycled their old mobile phones would do so without any form of incentive.
The study of 1000 US consumers found that 70% of those polled donated their old mobiles to charity and got a tax deduction, of the people that had never recycled a phone 98% of them said they wouldn’t consider it without some form of compensation.
The results of the study show that many people are prepared to do their bit for the environment but are not prepared to recycle their old handsets without a financial reward.
A recent survey in the UK also found that mobile recycling related searches have risen a massive 189% in the last 12 months, mainly due to the increase of online recycling sites offering a cash reward for old phones.
It looks like in any country; merely appealing to people’s environmental consciences is not enough to stop old mobile phones from ending up on rubbish tips.