Phone options getting greener for mobile users

Mobile phone users are increasingly given greener options when buying and disposing of their handsets.

In the UK, various websites give cash for old devices, with some yielding up to £100 for consumers who might otherwise have thrown this type of gadget away.

Mobile phones can be harmful to the environment at the end of their lives, as chemicals leak out of them and the materials just end up in landfill sites.

However, a new handset has been unveiled in the US that is 80 per cent recyclable and claims to offer an eco-friendlier choice for those who want to make their carbon footprint a bit smaller.

Samsung and North American network Sprint announced on August 6th they were making available the Reclaim, which is claimed to be the first device of its kind manufactured from eco-friendly bio-plastic materials.

According to the companies, it enables users to take ecological responsibility while benefiting from “must-have features” and the fastest network speeds.

Omar Khan is senior vice-president of strategy and product management for Samsung Mobile and said the Reclaim was “powerful and stylish”.

He added: “When you combine the Reclaim’s impressive feature set with its bio-plastic hardware and eco-friendly packaging, you’re using a phone that is good for you and the environment.”

The news comes as other mobile companies make efforts to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprints.

LG announced last month it had reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2.1 million tons via better efficiency. It also cut 100,000 tons from its manufacturing processes.