Sunday, Jun 14, 2009

Gulf News

Dubai/Abu Dhabi: What you choose to do with your old mobile phone is well worth giving some thought to. You could sell it for a bargain price, or keep it for old times' sake, or better still get it recycled to do your bit for the environment?

Nokia recently launched a campaign to promote recycling by introducing drop-off points for used mobiles at all outlets. Residents are encouraged to part with their unwanted mobile phones of any brand in exchange for a voucher to download music.

The phones will then be sent to Europe to be taken apart and recycled by 10 Nokia-approved companies.

In a recent Gulf News poll, 30 per cent of respondents said they prefer to retain their old handset, 21 per cent said they only kept one phone, 20 per cent said they had sold a phone at some point, 14 per cent said they were still using their old handset, 10 per cent said they had junked an old mobile, and the remaining 5 per cent said they favoured recycling.

City Talk took to the streets to know more about the issue.

Hassan Al Mokdem, 32, an office manager fromEgypt, said: "I tend to keep them [old phones]. I have heard about phone recycling facilities but have no idea where they are. I might give my old mobile phones to friends and family, but I do not think I will recycle them because I will not be getting anything in return. I think that if retailers want to encourage people to recycle their mobile phones, they should give some sort of compensation, like a voucher for accessories."

Shannon Norris, from the United Kingdom, said: "I keep the old phones but when it comes to laptop computers, I try to give them to children who need it. I have heard about the recycling facilities and would definitely consider using them. There is a big issue about recycling going on at the moment but I am worried that they might not get treated correctly, and that all the materials end up getting mixed together. I am looking forward to recycling my mobile phone since the company I work at also deals with recycling products, which also follows the same principle of re-using materials."

Sageed Ala, 30, a marketing executive from Bangladesh, said: "I either sell my mobile phones and computers to shops or to friends. I have never heard about the concept of recycling electronics but think that it is a very good idea, which I might use."

Nelunika De Silva, 33, an architect from Sri Lanka, said: "I have only been in the country for two months, so I do not have any old phones as yet. But back home in Colombo, I always recycle my old mobile phones, as well as the charger and the battery. The mobile phone technology is something that becomes obsolete quickly, so I think that I will certainly use them [recyling services] here. But it would be better if there were more outlets that provided such recycling facilities, so that it will be easily accessible to everyone."

Elvecaa Kapoor, a radiographer from South Africa, said: "Recycling is a great initiative but must be done in a proper way. I have not heard of being able to recycle my old mobile phone in the UAE but I do not feel I can dump my phone without anything in return. I would rather sell it to a telephone shop or to someone who it can be useful for, because there are lots of people that cannot afford a first-hand phone. As for computers, I do not own one to comment."

Grace Moreno, 38, a midwife from the Philippines, said: "I give my old phones or computer to relatives back home. I was not aware of this new recycling procedure but I definitely feel it is a great and healthy initiative for the environment and do not mind recycling my phone if I feel it is too old to be used by anyone else."

Surendran Attassery, an auto mechanic from India, said: "I do not like the idea. I personally cannot afford to give my phone away and buy a new phone, so I would rather take care of my phone than to recycle it; if it needs to be updated or fixed, I will fix it and, once I am done with it, I will then sell it."


How many old phones do you have? What is the most innovative way in which you let go of an old set? Do you think recycling mobile phones can become a popular practice?

By Mariam M. Al Serkal and Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporters

Gulf News 2009. All rights reserved.