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Recycle your mobile for Amnesty

Each phone we recycle is worth £4 to Amnesty International.Mobile phones contain precious metals like gold and silver, which can be reused.

They also contain toxic substances like cadmium and mercury, which can leak into the environment from landfill sites. One mobile battery could be powerful enough to pollute 600,000 litres of water.

Help the environment and stand up for human rights

Recycle your mobile with Amnesty and stand up for human rights worldwide. Every phone you recycle with us - regardless of age or condition - raises £4 to support our work. Thanks to your generosity we have raised £10,000 in the first two months.

UK taxpayers can also Gift Aid money raised and earn an extra £1.12. Just sign the Gift Aid declaration on the envelope. 

Mobile phone stats

It is estimated that in the UK alone: 

  • 90 million mobiles are in circulation.
  • 18 million mobiles are bought each year
  • 75% of the UK population will upgrade or replace their phone in the next 18 months

Despite this, only 5% of unwanted mobiles get recycled. That means 95% either gather dust or end up in landfill sites.

Step-by-step guide to recycling with Amnesty

  1. Order your FREEPOST Amnesty recycling envelopes. Order now
  2. Collect together any unwanted phones and remove their sim cards
  3. Put up to five phones in each envelope and post them

Got more than 20 phones? CMR, our recycling partner, can arrange a free courier collection for you +44 (0)20 7404 6440

Feel like doing more? Hold a collection

Recycle your mobile phone with Amnesty.Get permission to hold a collection at your work, school or university and then set the date. We recommend you collect for a maximum of two weeks. Some helpful tips for a successful collection: 

Make or find a strong cardboard collection box and put it in a prominent place.

Advertise your collection with a poster and email. Download colour poster (pdf, 2.1Mb) or the black and white version (pdf, 187Kb)

Remember to remove all sim cards before sending in the phones for recycling.

Let us know how you get on, email fundraise@amnesty.org.uk

If you collect more than 20 handsets call +44 (0)20 7404 6440 to arrange a free courier collection.

What happens to the phones you send in?

Phones are sold to our recycling partner Corporate Mobile Recycling. CMR then checks and tests them. Working handsets are sold on as second hand phones and reused around the world, often to countries where there are no fixed line telephone networks and people rely on mobile phones to communicate.

Handsets that are beyond repair are dismantled and the parts recycled in the EU in line with strict environmental standards.

Find more about our mobile recycling partner