How many phones are thrown away each year in the UK?

Nobody knows the exact number, but the picture is consistent across every credible source: a large share of the phones the UK stops using each year ends up either in general waste or sitting unused in a drawer. Research from Material Focus, the organisation behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, suggests there are tens of millions of unused phones hoarded in UK homes, with a meaningful portion of old electricals still going into the bin rather than to recycling.

And yes, throwing away an old phone is bad. It is a fire risk in the waste system, it sends recoverable metals to landfill, it wastes money you could have had, and it breaks the law under the WEEE Regulations 2013. The good news is the alternatives are easy: sell it if it works, recycle it properly if it does not.

How many phones actually get thrown away?

Treat any single headline figure with caution, because the studies measure different things and the numbers move year to year. What the research consistently shows is the order of magnitude. According to Material Focus, an estimated tens of millions of mobile phones lie unused in UK homes, and millions of small electrical items are thrown into general waste bins each year rather than recycled. The WEEE Forum, which represents electrical waste schemes across Europe, has repeatedly highlighted that phones are among the most hoarded and most under-recycled devices we own.

The behaviour splits roughly two ways. Some phones go straight in the bin when a new one arrives. Many more never reach the bin at all: they get tucked into a drawer 'just in case' and quietly stay there for years. Both outcomes are a problem, because a phone that is hoarded today is far more likely to be binned later, once it feels too old to bother with.

Why putting a phone in the bin is harmful

It is easy to assume one small phone in the general waste cannot matter much. It does, for several concrete reasons.

Lithium batteries are a fire risk. Almost every phone contains a lithium-ion battery. When these are crushed or punctured, which is exactly what happens inside a bin lorry or at a waste sorting facility, they can short circuit and ignite. Battery fires in waste trucks and recycling centres have become a recognised hazard across the UK, and a single hidden phone battery can start one. This is the most immediate, physical reason a phone should never go in a household bin.

Phones contain materials that should not reach landfill. A modern handset holds small amounts of hazardous substances alongside valuable metals such as gold, copper, and rare earth elements. In landfill the harmful materials can leach out over time, and the valuable ones are lost for good. Recovering them from waste once buried is effectively impossible.

Binning a phone wastes recoverable value. Even a cracked, faulty, or several-year-old phone usually has worth, either as a working device for someone else or for the parts and metals inside it. Throwing it away converts something with real value into nothing. For a phone that still powers on, that lost value can run to tens or even hundreds of pounds.

What the WEEE Regulations 2013 require

This is not just a question of good habits. Under the WEEE Regulations 2013 (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), electricals are not meant to go to landfill, and there is a system in place to keep them out of it. Retailers that sell electrical goods have obligations to help customers dispose of old items responsibly, which is why so many shops and supermarkets now have battery and small electricals collection points. Local councils run household waste recycling centres that take small electronics too.

In practice this means you are rarely far from a legitimate drop-off point, and there is no good reason to default to the bin. The regulations exist precisely because phones and other electricals carry materials that need controlled handling rather than general waste.

What to do instead

The right alternative depends on one simple question: does the phone still work?

If it still works, sell it. A phone that powers on almost always has a buyback value, even with a cracked screen or a worn battery. Selling keeps the device in use, which is the best environmental outcome because it avoids the energy cost of building a new one, and it puts money back in your pocket. A postal buyback service is the least effort route: you get a quote online, post the phone for free, and the device goes to someone who will use it.

If it genuinely does not work, recycle it properly. Take it to a WEEE collection point at a shop or supermarket, drop it at your local household waste recycling centre, or use a buyback service that also handles recycling for devices with no commercial value. Either way, the phone is processed in line with WEEE rules, the battery is removed safely, and the metals are recovered rather than buried.

If you are not sure which camp your phone falls into, our guide on what to do with an old phone in the UK walks through every option. For the bigger picture on why reuse beats disposal, see the environmental impact of phone recycling.

The drawer is not a safe middle ground

Leaving an old phone in a drawer feels harmless, but it is really just a delayed version of the same problem. Batteries degrade over time, the device loses value every month it sits there, and most hoarded phones eventually get thrown out anyway once they feel hopelessly outdated. The honest move is to deal with it now: sell it while it still has value, or recycle it while the battery is safe to handle. A phone you act on today is worth more, and safer, than one you forget about.

Common questions

Is it illegal to throw a phone in the bin in the UK?

Electricals are not meant to go to landfill under the WEEE Regulations 2013, and there is a collection system designed to keep them out of general waste. The practical point is simple: free recycling and buyback routes exist everywhere, so binning a phone is both avoidable and the wrong choice.

Why are phone batteries a fire risk in bins?

Lithium-ion batteries can short circuit and catch fire when they are crushed or punctured, which is what happens inside bin lorries and at waste sorting sites. A single hidden phone battery has been enough to start fires in waste trucks and recycling centres, which is why batteries and phones need separate, controlled disposal.

Is a broken or old phone worth anything?

Usually, yes. A phone that powers on tends to have a buyback value even with a cracked screen or a faulty battery, because it can be repaired, reused, or stripped for parts. Throwing it away turns something with real worth into nothing, so it is always worth getting a quote first.

How many unused phones are there in the UK?

Research from Material Focus suggests tens of millions of unused phones are sitting in UK homes, with millions of small electricals going into general waste each year. Exact figures vary between studies, so treat the scale, rather than any precise number, as the takeaway.

Sell your phone instead of binning it

Cash My Tech is a UK postal buyback service. There is no walk-in shop: you get an instant quote online, and if you accept it, the price is locked for five days while you prepare your device. A free prepaid postage label comes with your booking. Send the phone in, and once it is inspected before 2pm on a working day, payment arrives the same day by UK bank transfer.

Every device goes through a certified data wipe in line with UK GDPR and the WEEE Regulations 2013. Cash My Tech buys iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, and Google Pixel devices in any condition, including cracked screens and faulty handsets. The service is rated 4.8 out of 5 from over 1,250 verified UK reviews.

Check what your phone is worth on the Cash My Tech quote page, or go straight to sell your iPhone if you have an Apple device. All quotes are estimates, but it beats throwing money in the bin.