Electronics & batteries
What should I do with an old mobile phone?
Reuse, repair, trade-in or donate a working phone; otherwise use an authorised e-waste collection or retailer take-back route.
Complete answer
The answer
Before handover, back up anything you need, sign out of accounts, remove SIM or memory cards and perform an appropriate factory reset. If the battery is swollen, hot, leaking or physically damaged, do not continue charging or compressing the device.
Phones contain recoverable metals, plastics, glass and a lithium battery, so they should not enter general waste or ordinary packaging recycling.
What to do
- Back up and erase personal data.
- Remove SIM and memory cards.
- Use reuse, trade-in or e-waste collection.
Related WasteSpot resources
These links are optional follow-up resources. The complete answer is provided above.
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