Gold, silver and palladium
Contacts, circuit boards and conductive components
Technology after use
A longer life for technology starts with one practical decision.
Selling an unused device can keep it in circulation, preserve the value already invested in it and move it towards the right recovery process when useful life ends.
Reuse before waste Keep useful technology moving
5.3bnphones expected to leave use in 2022
62mtonnes of global e-waste in 2022
22.3%documented as formally recycled
~60kgCO₂e before a new phone is used
The device already exists
An unused phone is not empty. Its value is waiting.
A phone in a drawer still contains working components, recoverable materials and, often, years of possible use.
The environmental case is simple. Keep the whole device useful for as long as possible, recover parts where that is the better option, then recycle the remaining materials properly.
Global E-waste Monitor 2024The latest documented picture
- E-waste generated
- 62 million tonnes in 2022
- Growth since 2010
- 82% higher
- Formally collected
- 22.3% documented
- Small IT and telecoms
- 4.6 million tonnes
- Small IT recovery
- 22% documented
- Projected by 2030
- 82 million tonnes
The UN-backed monitor reports that e-waste generation is rising five times faster than documented recycling.
The scale
Recovery is improving too slowly for the volume being created.
In 2022 alone, the WEEE Forum expected 5.3 billion mobile phones to fall out of use. Many would be stored, discarded with general waste or handled outside documented systems.
Small enough to hoard Valuable enough to recover Safer through proper options
Read the global monitor What a phone contains
A compact device draws on a wide material world.
Complex electronics can contain up to 60 chemical elements. Mining, refining and processing them carry consequences for energy, water, land and pollution.
Lithium and cobalt
Rechargeable battery chemistry
Rare earth elements
Speakers, vibration motors and compact electronics
Indium
Transparent conductive layers in touchscreens
Copper and aluminium
Wiring, shielding, frames and heat management
Glass and polymers
Displays, housings, insulation and protection
The circular economy
Keep the highest value in use for the longest time.
A circular approach starts with the whole product. Recycling raw material is important, but it comes after the opportunities to reuse, repair and refurbish.
Reuse the device
Move a working phone to another owner while the technology still performs its original purpose.
Repair or recover parts
Restore useful function or preserve components that can extend the life of other devices.
Recover the materials
When useful life has ended, separate valuable resources through an appropriate treatment process.
Value already createdUse what has already been made
Why another year matters
Most of a phone's carbon impact arrives before its first owner turns it on.
The Carbon Trust estimates roughly 60 kgCO₂e to manufacture, package and ship a new smartphone. Keeping a device in service longer spreads that embedded impact across more years of useful life.
Manufacture comes first
Around 80% of a smartphone's footprint is associated with production.
Useful life changes the picture
The annualised impact falls when the same device remains useful for longer.
Second-hand demand has a role
A credible reuse market helps existing devices continue serving real needs.
UK rules in plain EnglishWhen equipment becomes waste
- EEE
- Electrical and electronic equipment
- WEEE
- Equipment its holder discards
- Working reuse
- May remain a product, not waste
- Retail take-back
- Obligations apply to distributors
- Business disposal
- Classification and duty of care matter
- Treatment
- Use appropriate authorised services
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013, as amended, underpin the UK system.
What WEEE means
Electrical waste needs proper specialist handling.
WEEE rules place responsibilities on producers and distributors, and they shape how businesses classify, store, transfer and document electrical waste.
For individuals, the practical point is simpler. Do not place a phone in general waste. If it can be reused, sell or pass it on safely. If it cannot, use a proper electrical collection or recycling option.
Read the UK guidanceSell Any Mobile's place in the chain
Make the useful next step easier to see.
We do not need to lecture anyone. We make the remaining financial value visible and connect the device with verified businesses that want it.
Make value visible
Compare what recyclers will pay today.
A clear financial reason can be the prompt that moves a forgotten device back into circulation.
Compare your device Choose the next optionMove from a drawer towards reuse or recovery.
The selected recycler receives the device and decides the most appropriate next stage for its condition.
See how it worksChoose a useful next step
Sell, reuse or recycle the technology you no longer need.
Start with mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, game consoles or laptops, then find the exact model before comparing current recycler offers.
The evidence behind this page
Read the original sources.
Figures are dated and linked so journalists, researchers and readers can examine the underlying context directly.
Global E-waste Monitor 2024UNITAR and ITU global generation and recycling dataPhones leaving useWEEE Forum 2022 mobile phone estimateUnused UK technologyRoyal Society of Chemistry household researchMaterials and longer lifeEuropean Environment Agency evidenceSmartphone carbon impactCarbon Trust manufacturing and lifetime analysisUK WEEE RegulationsCurrent government guidance for the UK system
Environmental questions
Straight answers about reuse, recycling and WEEE.
The practical option still depends on the condition of the device and the recycler you choose. Understand the handover before you sell.
See how the selling journey worksWhere a device can be used safely and reliably, keeping it in service usually preserves more of the value already invested in its materials and manufacture. Repair, refurbishment and parts recovery can extend that value further. Material recycling remains important when useful life has genuinely ended.
Electrical and electronic equipment becomes waste when its holder discards it, intends to discard it or is required to discard it. A working device deliberately passed to another owner for continued use may remain a product rather than becoming waste.
WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The UK WEEE Regulations set responsibilities for producers, distributors and others handling electrical waste, including take-back, record keeping and treatment through appropriate services.
No. Sell Any Mobile provides the comparison. The recycler you choose receives the device and decides whether it can be reused, repaired, refurbished, used for parts or sent for responsible material recovery under its own process and terms.
The option depends on the recycler and the device. It may provide components for repair or be transferred for specialist treatment so recoverable metals, plastics, glass and other materials can be separated. Check the recycler's environmental and treatment information before selling.
Back up anything you want to keep, sign out of accounts, remove activation locks, erase the device through its settings and remove physical SIM and memory cards. Preparation protects your data and helps the next stage of reuse begin cleanly.
One device is a useful place to start
Ready to move yours forward?
See what verified recyclers are offering, choose the option that feels right and give unused technology a practical next step.