Get cash for old mobile phones

Aid Rawlins from Mazuma Mobile wants your unused mobile phones and he is on track to pay out $5 million for them between now and Christmas.

"Handsets are then processed and re-homed in developing countries like Africa, India and China where they can't afford new handsets," he said.

"We're a business and we make a small margin on every handset.

• Mobile savers
• Mobile privacy
• Cheap mobiles available to Australians

Here is how it works: Grab your old mobile, log on to the website, find the right make and model, obtain a quote, send it off, and then get paid.

If you are already tired of the Apple iPhone 4, you could be $650 richer. If it is not in working order, you will still boost your bank account by $250.

For a NOKIA 3120 Classic there is $22 to be had and if it is not working, $10.

An old Sony Ericsson T707 is worth $27, half that if it is not working and you can cash your Blackberry 8900 Curve in for $100, $35 if it is not working.

The concept of giving old phones new life began in Britain four years ago.

"We process something like 160,000 handsets a month in the UK," Aid said.

If you are thinking offering money for mobiles could encourage crime, Aid has this to say.

"We make sure they haven't appeared on a lost or stolen register and we do offer people a data deletion process so they can delete images and text messages," he said.

You will also have to provide your driver's licence details.

Programs like MobileMuster have recycled five million handsets and batteries over a decade and while there is no payment, Rose Read from the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association said programs like hers are the most environmentally friendly.

"Over 90 per cent of the materials in mobile phones can be recovered and reused to make new products," she said.

"These commercial programs are about making money and while they are providing cheaper phones into developing countries, there's a greater risk those phones may end up in landfill."

Related links

www.mazumamobile.com.au

Drop your phone off at your mobile phone retailer or local collection point. To find locations, visit the website at www.mobilemuster.com.au or call 1300 730 070.