O2 Recycle mobile phone recycling scheme pays out £1m to customers

O2 UK has announced that O2 Recycle, the mobile phone recycling service, has generated a staggering £1 million in cash pay outs for customers, less than five months since its launch (October 2009). The service is operated by phone recycling specialist Redeem Plc and aims to re-use as many of the unwanted devices as possible. Any devices that are not suitable for re-use are responsibly recycled.

The eco-friendly programme was created to make it as easy as possible for O2 customers and mobile users generally to recycle some of the 90 million handsets which are gathering dust in homes throughout the UK. O2 offers a cash value for old phones and donates £1 for every recycled device to its Think Big social change programme.

O2’s UK marketing director Sally Cowdry commented: “We are committed to embedding sustainability at the core of our business, bringing environmentally friendly products and services to our customers, and making it easier for them to do their bit for the environment. The fact that we have reached the 1 million mark so quickly is testament to the popularity of O2 Recycle.”

Jamie Rae, chief executive of Redeem commented: “Breaking the million pound barrier within a few months of the launch is a huge achievement for all involved and testament to the increasing environmental awareness of consumers in the UK. By recycling electronic devices we avoid potentially toxic waste being released into our environment and create communication solutions for people in the developing world where infrastructure can be poor.

“Our partnership with O2 demonstrates the growth of Redeem’s business and recognises that what we can offer to operators and consumers is unmatched in the UK.”

Products that are supported on www.O2recycle.co.uk include:
+ Mobile Phones (including accessories)
+ MP3 players
+ Laptops, (web-books and notebooks)
+ Printer cartridges
+ Satellite Navigation Systems
+ Digital cameras

O2 Recycle is part of O2’s commitment to bring products and services to market which motivate and help customers to be more sustainable. To maximise the environmental benefits, the service is open to anyone in the UK, regardless of network, and in addition to mobile phones, will also recycle mp3 players, digital cameras, satellite navigation systems and other consumer electronic devices.

The online service at www.o2recycle.co.uk can be used by anyone in the UK, regardless of network, and will provide cash in exchange for the old devices within 5 days.