Postal rule changes could impact mobile recycling
Monday, July 15, 2013 - 10:20:17
The Royal Mail is set to roll out new regulations which mean that people will no longer be able to post old mobile phones in freepost envelopes as a result of safety concerns, according to the NSPCC.
Over the past eight years, this children's charity has generated almost half a million pounds by recycling old mobile phones that have been donated by people who want to do their bit for a good cause.
Collecting mobile phones can be difficult, but if people are able to pop them in an envelope and send them via the postal service, then it is a good fundraising scheme.
Now if the Royal Mail encounters a freepost envelope containing a mobile phone it will be disposed of before it reaches its intended destination.
These rules have been in place for half a year and The Third Sector reports that mobile recycling firm, The Recycling Factory, is having its charitable efforts compromised as a result.
Part of the problem is that The Recycling Factory sent out many freepost envelopes to people in recent years, with a total of more than 40 million such packages thought to have been distributed.
People who received these envelopes are still sending them back five years later and many are not aware that due to the new rules, their phone will not actually be passed on appropriately.
The good news is that if you want to sell your old mobile phone or send it to charity, you can still do so using the Royal Mail. You just have to use a paid-for first or second class service, while the recycling companies will need to rely on business-level special deliveries.
A spokesperson for the Royal Mail explained that since the rules came into effect, there has been a major decline in the use of freepost envelopes, so hopefully, people are getting the message.
Latest News
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 10:32:41
Every industry around the world has been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and recycling has been especially affected as a result of force [...]
Read More
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - 21:33:36
Apple has pulled back the curtains on the all-new iPhone SE, bringing with it a raft of eco-friendly design features which aim to improve the green cr [...]
Read More
Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - 21:32:00
Researchers from New Zealand have demonstrated a new recycling solution which could help companies to reclaim rare materials from smartphones, PCs and [...]
Read More