Argos to pay out vouchers in exchange for obsolete mobile phones
Recycling equipment like mobile phones and tablets is a fundamental part of their life process. Whether that means they are repaired, polished up and sent to an emerging nation as a refurbished model, or they are stripped down for parts, making sure old devices don’t sit redundant in drawers is very important.
Now Argos, the giant UK chain store, with 788 locations nationwide, has pledged to exchange old devices for vouchers. So now recycling equipment that has been deemed outdated will help you in your purchase of new gadgets and devices! Argos have linked up with recycling experts WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) to tackle WEEE disposal and this is just one way they will do it. Argos aim to pay like for like with their vouchers, giving a fair price for the phones.
Are mobiles and tablets a big issue?
Dustin Benton, Head of Energy and Resources at Green Alliance said “There are 14 billion mobile devices currently in the market, that figure is expected to rise to 100 billion by 2020 and 500 billion by 2030. Did you also know that manufacturers of mobile devices create more Co2 that the whole of the UK transport system?”
“Recently we saw India ban second-hand electronics and currently West Africa is looking at tackling the environmental threat that waste electronics poses to them. From where I’m standing, disruption looks very likely to attack the mobile industry.”
Of those 14 billion devices in the market, WRAP estimates that £1 billion worth of unused electrical equipment sat in the drawers and storage of British homes. Recycling equipment like mobile phones will allow these materials to be repurposed, or the devices to find a new loving home.
Word from WRAP
Director of WRAP, Marcus Gover, said: ‘Resource-efficient business models mean we can get the most out of a product economically and environmentally whilst offering real opportunities for business growth.’
‘We hope that Argos’s success will pave the way for change and give others confidence to embrace the circular economy’.
Recycling equipment with Argos is easy, simply take your phone or tablet in store and their staff will give you a valuation that can be paid in vouchers for use in store.