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This week my old trusty iPhone decided to completely conk out on me. Looking for a replacement got me wondering…what happens to all the old tech we discard each year? You might be shocked to hear the stats. And this is why you should choose refurbished phones.
Why You Should Choose Refurbished Phones
As someone who loves technology I was shocked to learn recently that globally we humans create over 50 Million tonnes of e-waste. You read that right. Every single year. Wow! Now, that is worrying when we realise that the 50 million tonnes is just e-waste. In fact global annual waste generation is expected to jump to 3.4 billion tonnes over the next 30 years, up from 2.01 billion tonnes in 2016…agrh! Pass my smelling salts please.
So what can we do to help prevent adding to this ever growing pile? Well, I have one subject that I love to discuss to everyone that asks – choosing refurbished.
Now, if you asked me a few years ago if I would ever consider buying a refurbished device I would have laughed and replied with a firm “No way!” but here I am now shouting about their benefits. Why? Well see the above data. But also the industry has massively changed.
Gone are the days when buying refurbished meant buying a cheap, almost obsolete piece of tech. In fact, the refurbishment industry is thriving.
Brands do still bring out new models every year. And some people will always want the very latest shiny tech devices in their hand (we all know someone like that!). But this also means that their older devices are submitted for recycling and resale. Meaning that there is a constant flow of fabulous devices being resold in the market. Yey!
Also, refurbished doesn’t just mean second hand – in many cases the phones are returns from people who simply changed their minds. Or the phones might have easily fixed faults such as cracked screen. Once the screen is fixed they are literally in perfect condition…hardly used, right?
Viva la Refurbished Revolution!
I am not alone in being worried about the impact my tech habit has on the Planet, in fact a recent survey by giffgaff revealed that 83% of the UK is concerned about e-waste. This is actually good news as the UK is according to ‘The Global E-waste Monitor’ report, the second biggest generator of E-waste globally after Norway (rest assured I was surprised by this data too).
Why is this good news? Well, it just means we need to educate people on how they can prevent adding to this number and how they do their bit. So as knowledge is power here are a few useful tidbits of knowledge. To help you and your loved ones be but savvy and sustainable when purchasing your next bit of phone tech:
Where to purchase a refurbished device:
A quick Google can reveal to you a plethora of locations to purchase your refurbished devices from, just make sure to do your research before purchasing on what it is exactly that you’re looking for. If you purchase via a mobile network, you can save yourself from spending extra pounds by just buying the device or getting a sim only contract. This also means that you are not getting locked into a long contract with a particular network. Most sellers of refurbished mobiles also categorise their products, so you will always be able to make an informed decision.
Where to sell a refurbished device
You can also save the planet and make some pennies by actually rooting in your old tech drawers and recycling all your old devices gathering dust. Many places offer cash for your old devices which can then even be recycled or refurbished. Thus preventing them from ending up on that e-waste landfil. *queue trumpets*
If you want to be even more kinder to the world, charities such as Little lives UK accept donations of old devices which they can donate to people in need or can be recycled to turn into money to be spent helping others.oooh, lovely.
Hopefully, this has explained enough why you should choose refurbished phones and tech over their new counterparts. Or failing that, I’ve inspired you to check your drawers for devices that can be re-purposed or resold. I’ll be selling my old phone on eBay, and will be buying an “as new’ model from my mobile provider.
Will you be buying refurbished rather than new this time? If so make sure to let me below in the comments, or find me on my social channels!
*This is a collaborative post – for more details please see my disclosure policy
And please do pin this post for later.
We’ve bought several refurbished phones and they’ve all been fine except one which had a battery that was faulty and overheated. I did get my money back though :o)
#MMBC