New use for old mobile phones

That old mobile phone, which was once your most treasured possession and practically glued to your hand, can be put to good use again by being recycled for charity.

All you have to do is dig it out from the drawer-of-forgotten-gadgets at home and drop it off at a Go outlet from where it will start its second life through a campaign organised by the Jesuit community. Go will hand over the phones to the community that will sell them for recycling and the money channelled to two charity projects.

One project involves helping Jesuits in Kenya to run Nyumbani, an orphanage for children who lost their parents to Aids. The other aims to provide solar-powered stoves to poor African families in Chad, saving the women miles of walking to fetch firewood.

Go chief executive officer David Kay said people usually changed their phone every 18 months. “Millions of unwanted mobile phones are either awaiting disposal in users’ homes or seeping hazardous materials including lead, mercury, cadmium – and even arsenic – into the environment. Yet, only 10 to 15 per cent of mobiles are being recycled in the world today,” he said.

Fr Paul Chetcuti, who heads the campaign – called A New Life For Your Old Mobile Phone – said: “It is good to know that what is superfluous or not useful can be a life-saving gift for a brother or sister in Africa. Our physical environment will be cleaner too through our recycling efforts.”

Resources Minister George Pullicino commended the Jesuits’ campaign, particularly noting the eco-friendly aspect of the initiative.

Anyone who wants to donate old mobile phones can do so at any of the Go retail outlets and exclusive resellers in Malta and Gozo.