A mobile phone, as we all know, has become an essential item in the modern world. Almost 90% of the urban population has a mobile phone.  Also, the brands are changing by the month, and even a six-month old mobile phone is considered out-of-date.

If you happen to buy a new phone and no longer need the old one, do not just throw it into the trashcan after taking out the SIM card. This may even pose an environmental hazard due to the various radiations emitted by the phone and also due to its component materials like arsenic, antimony and lead. There are far better means of disposal that benefit both you and the society at large. You can employ any of the following three methods to dispose your old cell phone:

• Putting your mobile phone up for sale
• Recycling for cash
• Donating

Putting up for sale:

If your old phone is still in working condition and the model is a fairly recent one, you could consider selling it to recoup some of the money that you had put in to buy it. The sale can be done either online, or through an advertisement in the newspaper. Holding a garage sale or selling it to second-hand markets are other viable alternative, if you like to bargain.

Recycling for cash:

If your phone is of an old model, but works fairly well,  giving your phone for recycling is a good option. Almost all the internal parts and accessories of the mobile phone such as batteries, chargers, antenna etc. can be recovered and used to make new products- from musical instruments to gold rings. Research shows that approximately 45% of the mobile phones are sitting around unused. Truly speaking,  if these unused phones are put to recycling, we would be saving tonnes of raw material needed to manufacture many things, including benches and chairs. This is, therefore, a very environment-friendly option, though it may be hard to visualise your favourite mobile phone being dismantled.

Donating:

You can be more philanthropic and donate your used cell-phone to someone in need. It may be your closed ones or any other needy child. You can donate to charitable organisation or orphanages. If you like to do it online, you can visit online sites like www.charitablerecycling.com and proceed accordingly.