It’s something of a surprise to come across anyone who doesn’t have a mobile these days. They have become a must-have for almost everyone. In fact, more than a billion people around the world now have a mobile phone.

By now, most of us have been through several different models, and once the old ones are discarded, they usually get left lying around somewhere in a drawer or under the bed or, worse, add to our already serious landfill problem.

According to Envirofone there are over 80 million old mobiles lying around in the UK. So, instead of chucking your old mobile phones in the bin, why not do your bit for the environment, get them recycled and make some money at the same time?

This idea has grown in popularity recently, and now there are loads of companies out there who will pay you for your old mobiles.

Rather than letting the phones end up in landfill, they can be re-used in areas of the world with growing economies – those which have the demand for the type of mobile technology some of us would class as obsolete.

Even very old mobiles can be used for parts by other businesses. And if they can’t be re-used, they are recycled in an environmentally-friendly way and can be made into things such as printer cartridges.

Of course, with so many companies out there offering cash for your phone, you need to make sure the one you choose is legitimate and will give you the best service.

The most established sites are:

• Mopay
• Envirofone
• Mazuma
• Banana Green

Whichever site you use, make sure you check out some of the others first, as prices do vary.

We at Moneymagpie know it isn’t easy to choose the best site, so we’ve done some research to find out if these companies do fulfil their promises.

We’ve recycled phones with Mopay, Envirofone, Banana Green and Mazuma – so you know exactly how it works and what to expect.

Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Find the best site

All the sites are set up in much the same way as Mopay where you simply select the make and model of the phone you wish to recycle.

There are pictures on all of the sites, so its easy to tell which is yours. Once you’ve found your phone, they’ll tell you how much it’s worth if it’s working, and how much if it’s not.

When it comes to choosing which is the best site for you, essentially you should look at all of them to see which one will offer the highest amount of cash in exchange for your phone.

Step 2: Fill in your details

Once you’ve selected the phone model, you’ll be asked to enter the IMEI number of your phone. Don’t worry if this sounds complicated – they all explain exactly where to find it, and it’s very straightforward.

You then have to ‘grade’ your phone; as working or not working.

Step 3: Choose cash or vouchers

Once you’ve filled in all these details and accepted their terms and conditions, you’ll be given the choice of either cash or Marks & Spencer vouchers with Mopay, cash or Argos vouchers with Envirofone, and just cash with Mazuma and Banana Green.

Mopay will also offer to put a percentage of the cash they offer you for your mobile into a charity, so you can be doing a doubly good deed!

Step 4: Arrange postage

You’ll then be asked for some personal details. Once you’ve filled those in, you’ll be given an order number, and receive a confirmation email with instructions of what to do next.

The one drawback here is that although postage is free, with Mopay you do have to provide your own jiffy bag. Both Mazuma, Banana Green and Envirofone provide you with one, though it does slow down the process as you have to wait to receive it.

Step 5: Send it off

All you have to do now is send off the phone and the order confirmation form which they send with the email. For Mopay you use the ‘Freepost, Mopay’ address and put your order number on the back of the envelope.

They do warn you that your post office will say that this isn’t a valid address – but be persistent and assure them, we did!

Be advised that none of the companies will accept phones without their security code, and will pay you according to the condition of the phone and the battery.

If phones are locked or can be proven stolen, they will be recycled without payment. So they will check that the details you’ve given them are correct before sending the money.

Step 6: Sit back and wait for your cheque!

We received ours within a week from both Mopay, Banana Green and Mazuma, and the amount was exactly as promised so we’re definitely satisfied! We received our cheque from Envirofone within about two weeks, so a little slower, but it was the amount we were promised.

A quick comparison

Just to give you an idea of how much your phone might be worth – and of the variation in prices offered by different websites – here are some comparisons:

Sony Ericsson W810i

Envirofone – £17.51

Mopay – £23.40

Mazuma – £24.00

Banana Green – £24.00

Motorola RAZR V3

Envirofone – £11.04

Mopay – £8.45

Mazuma – £11.00

Banana Green – £11.00

We think that Mopay offer the most efficient and helpful customer service, so if that’s important to you we would recommend them. Essentially though, it’s definitely worth checking out all the websites before making a decision as the prices really vary depending upon the model of your phone.

Useful links

• Mopay
• Envirofone
• Mazuma
• Banana Green

Do you have any comments or suggestions about recycling your mobile? Share them with everyone in the comments below.