The year of the i-phone as Nokia loses its throne

The number of Nokia handsets being recycled is set to increase by 15per cent this year according to mobile phone recycling website money4urmobile.com

Experts at money4urmobile.com think the reason for this is due to the growing uptake in i-phone and blackberry users across the UK as the line between business and personal mobile devices becomes blurred.

As awareness grows about the cash incentives that can be earned from recycling handsets, up to £100, the website thinks that this is also encouraging more people to get rid of old mobiles.

The average lifespan for a phone, according to research by the website, is 18 months with mobile users upgrading every time a contract is renewed. This means that there are even more mobile phones in the UK than ever before with the average person having at least two mobiles that they don’t use which rises to three for those under the age of 20.

With more people now looking for opportunities to generate cash during the economic downturn, recycling a mobile phone is a quick and easy way to earn money.

Simon Dunn, Director of money4urmobile.com commented “We are witnessing a strong growth in the number of phones being sent to us for recycling. Consumers are consciously deciding to recycle their unused mobiles to receive cash and other incentives. We are seeing a particularly strong increase in the number of Nokia models being recycled and we think that this is largely down to more people upgrading to i-phones and blackberries.”

Looking ahead to 2009, recycling specialists at money4urmobile.com predict that the Nokia N70 will be the most recycled phone closely followed by the Nokia N95 and Nokia 6300. In fourth place, the Nokia 6230 comes in just before the Sony Ericsson K580i and Sony Ericsson K800i. Finishing off the top ten is Sagem MYX-2, Samsung A800, Samsung F480 Toco, Motorolla RAZR2 V8 coming in seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.

The website money4urmobile.com offers consumers a financially and environmentally friendly way to dispose of old mobile phones with the added bonus of getting cash in return.