Vodafone New Zealand recycle program

Now that the holiday season is gone, some mobile phone users in New Zealand will have a problem: what to do with the old mobile phone? Vodafone is currently running a recycling initiative called "The Old, The Broke and The Ugly" to encourage mobile users, including consumers, companies and public authorities to hand in their old mobile phones for recycling.

Customers will be rewarded with NZ$5 free Vodafone airtime for every handset or battery they recycle, and the Vodafone New Zealand Foundation will donate NZ$5 per individual who recycles to the Zero Waste New Zealand Trust.

The program is an extension of an existing recycling scheme run in conjunction with Nokia New Zealand. Vodafone�s Managing Director Tim Miles says this campaign will emphasise how important it is to dispose of mobile waste safely, and help maintain the country�s clean green image.

�We all know household and car batteries need to be disposed of with care so they don�t make it into our landfills and streams - now Vodafone is making it easy for customers to dispose of their old, broke and ugly handsets and mobile batteries too,� he said.

�About 2.6 million Kiwis use a mobile phone and on average buy a new handset every 18 to 24 months. We believe there are thousands, possibly tens of thousands of old unused mobiles out there and we want to encourage people to recycle them.�

To recycle, just pick up a recycling envelope at any participating Vodafone outlet (or order envelopes online). Pop your old, broke or ugly mobile phone, battery and/or charger into the envelope, and mail free of charge to Vodafone.

In conjunction with Nokia, equipment is collected in New Zealand and shipped to Singapore where a certified recycler, Citiraya, safely recycles equipment.