November 6, 2009
Mobile phone operator Orange has become the latest electronics firm to encourage consumers to recycle their unused gadgets.
With the recently-introduced European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) requiring both manufacturers and retailers to enable their customers to recycle electronics, growing numbers of companies are taking proactive steps to encourage consumers to part with their unused devices.
Under Oranges new Reward and Recycle initiative, members of the public are to be given the chance to earn money by handing in unwanted mobile phones, as well as personal music players and laptop computers.
Paul French, head of care products at the telecoms company, noted: "Recycle & Reward is just another small step for us, as a business and for the public, in our journey towards greener, more sustainable practices."
Upon announcing the launch of its own scheme, Orange also estimated that there are some 90 million unused handsets lying around in British homes, worth a total of £450 million.
Earlier this month, Toshiba launched its own trade-in scheme for unwanted laptops, in accordance with WEEE regulations.
Rapid is a member of WeeeCare (www.weeecare.com) and is committed to the WEEE regulations. The Rapid membership number is WEE/DJ0003ZR and the Weeecare phone number is 0844 800 2004. All WEEE products are marked with the Weelybin symbol.
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