Can I recycle it?
Mobile phones are not collected as part of the recycling collection and should not be put out with your general rubbish. Their batteries pose a significant fire hazard if discarded incorrectly and should be disposed of safely and separately.
Useful information
Mobile phones contain a range of materials that can be extracted and re-used. There are an increasing number of options for recycling and re-using old mobile phones. Or alternatively they can be taken to any Household Waste Recycling Centre and placed in the small electrical items skip.
Donate or sell
Before you throw something away or recycle it, could it be reused instead?
You could:
- donate to a charity shop
- donate to a Kernow Reuse Shop (at our HWRCs)
- visit a repair cafe for help fixing or mending items
- give it away on sites like Freecycle, Freegle or Facebook Marketplace
- donate to local community projects like:
- RE:SOURCE (Bodmin)
- Heartlands Furniture (Pool)
- GOFA (Penzance)
- Cornwall and Plymouth Furniture Reuse Project
- Sell items at car boot sales, online (eBay) or through a local auction room
Retailer take-back
Buying a new electrical item from the high street?
- shops will recycle your old electrical item for free when you buy a new one
- you have 28 days to return it
- some stores accept small items without a purchase
- check with your local store before visiting
Find out more about recycling your electricals
Household Waste and Recycling Centres
We have 14 Household Waste and Recycling Centres across Cornwall. You can find opening times and a list of accepted items for each site using the button below.
You can find your nearest HWRC by entering you postcode on our My Area page.
You need to book a slot to visit some sites.