Two out of three Swedes have at least one functioning mobile phone that is not in use, according to a survey conducted by Verian on behalf of the producer responsibility company Recipo. In 16 percent of households, there are five phones or more.
This means that there are approximately eleven million phones in Swedes' cupboards and drawers.
Personal Information
About one-fifth keep their discarded phones because they are afraid that personal information will fall into the wrong hands. Recipo's CEO Ivo Edlund assures that there is no risk if you use so-called secure collect-boxes for discarded technology.
Then it is handled in locked containers all the way to the recycling plant, and there are rigorous controls on the handling of products and all data and storage media are destroyed.
You can also factory-reset the phone before handing it over.
I would recommend doing that, especially if you're leaving it at a recycling center or selling it further.
Donating and Selling
Some donate to family or friends, sell second-hand, or leave them to companies that deal with used phones.
If the phone is functional and good, it's absolutely the best for the environment to find a new user.
But if the phone is no longer usable, it's best to leave it for recycling. Only 24 percent do, according to the survey. This means that valuable materials that could be recycled cannot be used.
There is as much gold and copper in a ton of old iPhones as you normally get by breaking 2,000 tons of rock. Then it's much more resource-efficient to use the electronics and resources that already exist, says Ivo Edlund.
Even if it's a small contribution, we can help both Sweden and Europe generate raw materials that are needed with the phones that come in.
61 percent answered that functioning mobile phones that are no longer in use are stored in a drawer or closet. 24 percent leave them for recycling.
49 percent keep the discarded phones as a reserve. 22 percent keep them because they are afraid that personal information will fall into the wrong hands.
The survey was conducted during the period of February 1-20, 2025. A total of 1,018 people responded to the questions
Source: Recipo/Verian
