Recycle Your Mobile Phone for Charity

Recycle4Charity makes it easy to recycle mobile phones for charity — send your old handset and we'll securely wipe all data, refurbish it for someone in need, or responsibly recycle it if it can't be reused. Your donated phone helps close the digital divide in London while keeping electronic waste out of landfill.

How to send your old phone

Recycling a mobile phone for charity with Recycle4Charity is straightforward:

  1. Request a Freepost label — fill in the short form below and we’ll email you a free pre-paid UK label
  2. Pack your phone — wrap it in bubble wrap or a padded envelope to protect it in transit
  3. Post it — drop it at any Royal Mail postbox or Post Office

Alternatively, drop your phone off in person at [our address]. If you have several phones to donate, contact us to arrange a collection or drop-off.

You don’t need to factory reset your phone first — though we recommend removing your SIM card and backing up anything you want to keep. Our certified data wiping process removes all data regardless.

What happens to your phone

Every donated phone goes through the same certified data destruction process we use for business devices — a thorough wipe that removes all user data, accounts, photos, messages and app data, leaving no recoverable content. The phone is then:

  • Refurbished and rehomed if it’s in working (or repairable) condition — wiped, tested, reset and given free to someone in London who needs it
  • Responsibly recycled if it cannot be reused — sent to a licensed WEEE recycler, where valuable materials (gold, silver, cobalt) are recovered and hazardous components safely handled

Nothing collected by Recycle4Charity is sent to general waste or landfill. See our impact to understand what each donated phone achieves.

Who receives your phone

Working, refurbished handsets go to digitally-excluded Londoners through our partner organisations — charities, community groups and schools that know their beneficiaries and provide the support to make a device genuinely useful. A refurbished phone can mean a refugee accessing translation services, an older person staying connected to family, or someone out of work accessing job boards and Universal Credit.

What about charity phone recycling schemes that pay cash?

Some phone recycling schemes pay a small amount for your handset and donate a share to charity. With Recycle4Charity, the phone itself goes directly to someone in need — not sold on the secondary market. If your phone is a recent flagship model in good condition and you’d like to discuss the best route, contact us.

Ready to donate? Request your free Freepost label below. Recycle your phone →

Frequently asked questions

To recycle your mobile phone for charity with Recycle4Charity, request a free Freepost label, pack your phone securely and post it — or drop it off in person. We'll wipe it, refurbish it if possible, and place it with someone in need in London.

Yes — every phone is securely wiped to recognised data destruction standards before it is passed on. You do not need to factory reset it yourself, though doing so is a sensible precaution before posting any device.

Phones that are too old, damaged or faulty to be refurbished are responsibly recycled through licensed WEEE channels. No phone donated to Recycle4Charity is sent to general waste or landfill.

We accept smartphones of any make and most conditions — working, cracked screens, broken buttons or not powering on. Very old handsets may be recycled rather than refurbished. Contact us if you are unsure whether your phone qualifies.

Recycling your phone with Recycle4Charity has two benefits: working handsets are refurbished and given free to digitally-excluded Londoners who need a device to work, learn or stay connected; non-working phones are responsibly recycled, keeping hazardous materials out of landfill and recovering valuable raw materials that would otherwise be lost.