O2 today announced the launch of O2 Recycle, an online service to make it as easy as possible for people to responsibly recycle old handsets in return for cash. Operated by leading phone recycling specialist Redeem Plc, O2 Recycle is part of O2’s commitment to bringing products and services to market which motivate and help customers to be more sustainable.
With an estimated 90m handsets thought to be lying in drawers and cupboards across the UK, O2 Recycle will help to avoid unwanted handsets ending up in landfills by incentivising people to send them back for recycling*. The service can be used by 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.
O2 Recycle launches today at www.o2recycle.co.uk and is easy to use. Customers simply visit the site and enter details of their mobile phone or device and receive an estimated value, which is subject to the device working. They then print off a receipt and a pre-paid postage bag is sent to them to put the phone and receipt in and send back. Alternatively, the bags will also be available in all O2 stores. Once the device has been received and is confirmed to be in good working order, the customer receives a text to say that the money will be transferred to their account. For every recycled device O2 will donate £1 to ‘Its Your Community’ which is O2’s chosen charity. With ‘Its Your Community,’ awards of between £100 and £1000 are available to local groups and individuals for anything that they can show will benefit their community.
All products received through the service will be collected and handled through Redeem’s Falkirk distribution centre before being processed and sold on to global markets. Additionally, all waste residues and non-workable products received will be sent for responsible materials recycling.
O2’s Marketing Director Sally Cowdry commented, ‘We are committed to embedding sustainability at the core of our business and following our launch of Sony Ericsson’s more sustainable handset, the Naite, this is yet another example of O2 bringing environmentally friendly products and services to its customers, and making it easier for them to do their bit for the Environment. With O2 Recycle we aim to offer all customers the very best service, experience and most competitive prices when disposing of their electronic devices.’
Jamie Rae, Chief Executive of Redeem commented: ‘This partnership with O2 demonstrates the growth of our business and the recognition that what we can offer to an operator and to a consumer is unmatched in the UK. This represents an excellent step for us as we have achieved a fundamental goal for the future strategy of our business.’
O2 is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of mobile phones and, in addition to this phone recycling initiative, pioneered SIM-only tariffs with O2 Simplicity to encourage customers to keep their handsets for longer.
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