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Stop Hoarding Old Phones – Here’s Why You Should Finally Sell Yours We’ve all been there. You upgrade to the latest iPhone or Samsung, toss the old one in a drawer “just in case,” and forget about it. Fast forward a few years, and suddenly you’ve got a mini tech graveyard. You might wonder, Is it even worth selling these old phones? Short answer: Yes. Absolutely. Even if it’s scratched, cracked, or a little outdated, your phone still holds value—and not just in cash. Selling it does the planet a favour too. Here’s everything you need to know. So, What Are You Doing With That Old Phone Anyway? Let’s be honest—if it’s sitting in a drawer gathering dust, it’s not doing you (or anyone else) any good. One thing you shouldn’t do? Toss it in the bin. Old phones are packed with toxic stuff like lead, mercury, and plastic that sticks around in the environment for years. Even one phone battery can pollute 60,000 litres of water. That’s about 17,000 cups of tea—let that sink in. And considering over 1.3 billion phones were sold in 2020, imagine how many are sitting unused… or worse, ending up in landfill. Not great. E-Waste Is a Massive Problem (And We’re Kind of at the Centre of It) Here’s the deal: electronic waste—aka e-waste—is the fastest-growing waste issue on the planet. And we’re all contributing to it without even realising. Back in 2015, the world created 9.2 million tonnes of e-waste. By 2019, it jumped to 53.6 million tonnes. If things don’t change, we’re looking at over 111 million tonnes per year by 2050. And the UK? We’re one of the worst offenders, producing more e-waste per person than almost anywhere else. So yeah, it’s a problem. But luckily, there’s something simple you can do to help: sell your phone the smart way. Here’s What Actually Happens When You Sell Your Phone When you sell your old phone to a legit company like PhoneHatch, one of three things usually happens: If it’s in good shape, it gets resold to someone looking for a solid deal on a refurbished device. If it’s a bit beat up, it gets repaired and restored—usually with new parts and a lot of tech love. If it’s totally done for, it still has value. Phones are full of materials like gold, copper, silver, and lithium—aka stuff people dig miles into the ground to find. In fact, recycling phones is way more efficient than mining raw materials from the Earth. According to the EPA, one tonne of phone circuit boards has 800x more gold than the same amount of mined ore. That’s wild. But Wait—Recycling Phones Can Be Dangerous, Right? Yes… if it’s not done properly. Unfortunately, a lot of old phones that get “recycled” in the UK and US are shipped overseas to places like Africa and Southeast Asia. There, they’re taken apart by hand in unsafe conditions. People inhale toxic fumes and handle harmful materials without protection. It’s dangerous, damaging, and unfair. The Columbia Climate School found that this kind of exposure causes serious health problems—everything from birth defects to respiratory issues. It also pollutes the air, soil, and water for surrounding communities. Bottom line? If you’re going to sell your phone, do it through someone who handles it the right way. Why Sell Your Phone with PhoneHatch? We get it—selling your phone might sound like a hassle. But we’ve made it ridiculously easy. At PhoneHatch, we’re all about trust, sustainability, and keeping it simple. Refurbishing and rehoming phones isn’t just something we do—it’s our whole thing. Our business model is built around the circular economy: rebox, rehome, repeat. That means no phone goes to waste, and nothing ends up in landfill if we can help it. And for every phone we rehome, we plant a tree to help offset the phone’s lifetime carbon emissions. So you’re not just decluttering—you’re making a real difference. Even if your phone’s had a few wild nights and seen better days, we’ll still take it and do our best to give it a second life. Ready to Let Go? So go on—ditch the drawer clutter, make a little cash, and do something good for the planet while you’re at it.

In an age where technology evolves at lightning speed, mobile phones have become indispensable—but also incredibly disposable. Millions of devices are upgraded, discarded, or forgotten every year, contributing to a growing environmental crisis. What often goes unnoticed is the impact of improper disposal and the untapped potential within each discarded phone. Let’s explore why mobile phone recycling is not just important—but essential. The Environmental Cost of Mobile Phone Waste Failing to properly dispose of old mobile phones can result in significant environmental damage. Consider these startling facts: In the UK alone, over 85 million phones are waiting for proper disposal. In the US, more than 140 million mobile phones end up in landfills annually. A single phone in a landfill can contaminate up to 132,000 litres of water. Toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium can leach into soil, water, and air. Despite efforts, only about 10% of phones are recycled each year. Yet, 80–90% of the materials in a mobile phone are recyclable. By recycling phones, we not only prevent environmental contamination but also recover valuable materials that can be reused. What Do We Gain From Recycling Old Phones? Recovery of Precious and Rare Metals Many people are unaware that their smartphones are a treasure trove of precious metals. Components like the circuit board contain small amounts of gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, and rare earth elements like scandium and lanthanum. Here’s a perspective: Recycling 6,000 phones can recover 340g of gold, 3.5kg of silver, and 130kg of copper. These metals are increasingly scarce and costly to mine—recycling them helps reduce our dependency on resource-intensive extraction processes. Reduction of E-Waste The speed of innovation in the tech industry has led to an explosion in e-waste. A United Nations University report showed a 21% increase in e-waste generation in just the past five years. Most of this ends up in landfills, where it slowly leaks toxic substances into the environment. Recycling reduces the volume of waste and mitigates its long-term impact on ecosystems. Access to Affordable Technology Not everyone can afford the latest smartphone, and that’s where recycling offers a win-win. When phones are recycled, many are refurbished and resold at a fraction of the cost of new devices. This makes modern technology more accessible to those on tighter budgets. Additionally, if your phone is still functional, you might even earn cash by selling it through a recycling or refurbishment program. Job Creation and Economic Growth Recycling doesn’t just help the planet—it helps people too. The recycling industry has a tangible impact on job creation: Recycling 1,000 tonnes of material can lead to the creation of 750+ jobs. In 2016 alone, e-waste recycling created 20,000–30,000 new jobs in the U.S., contributing nearly $1 billion to the economy. The more we recycle, the more opportunities we create—for technicians, logistics professionals, engineers, and more. Final Thoughts Mobile phone recycling isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. Each device you recycle can conserve natural resources, protect our environment, support a more sustainable economy, and give someone else a chance to benefit from modern technology. Whether it’s sitting in your drawer or destined for a landfill, your old mobile phone has more value than you think. Recycle it—and be part of the solution.