Competitive Intelligence company Hitwise says UK internet searches for mobile phone recycling have increased by 189% in the last year. Robin Goad, the company’s Director of Research, says the increase is driven by financial as well as environmental concerns – pointing out that “the growth in mobile phone recycling searches has gone hand-in-hand with an increase in online queries relating to the financial benefits of recycling old mobiles”. Meanwhile, there’s been a decrease in searches for other types of recycling; UK internet searches for recycling computers, other electronic items, CDs, clothes and furniture have fallen by 50% over the last 12 months. Mobile phone-related searches now account for 75% of all recycling search queries.
We interviewed Chris Rogerson from mobile phone recycling company ShP Limited earlier this year; he talked about a new recycling scheme for dealers and explained how mobile phone recycling worked. [Hitwise press release]