Flip your phone, donate your dongle: how to bring new life to unwanted tech – and why you should do it

Most of us have a drawer of shame somewhere at home – a dusty cavern full of outdated mobiles, tablets, dongles and doodads that were once our pride and joy. It seems wasteful to throw them out, yet realistically we know they’ll never “come in useful one day”.

If we did let go of them, our old devices that can have the latest IOS update could be given shiny new lives – really making a difference in the hands of someone who needs them.

With the help of Vodafone’s Great British Tech Appeal, which passes on preloved phones, tablets and laptops, we take a look at the behind-the-scenes story of donated devices – and how they can help close the digital divide.

Reduce, reuse … rethink?

It’s difficult to comprehend the volume of rubbish generated by the relentless new-newer-newest cycle of mobile technology, even just on this little island. In fact, said little island is one of the worst offenders, according to figures published by the UN Global e-Waste Monitor (pdf) this year.

“About 1.5 million people in the UK don’t have a smartphone, tablet or laptop,” says Helen Milner, group chief executive of Good Things Foundation, a partner on the Great British Tech Appeal. “Yet the UK is the second-highest producer of e-waste per capita in the world.”

In other words, while the UK is awash with expensive gadgets, we’re not passing them on when we’re done to the millions of people – yes, even here, even now – who have been cut off from the digital revolution. When we’re not hoarding them, we’re just … throwing them away.

Milner says: “Donating is a great way to prolong device usage while also helping those who need it most. Every device donation will make a major difference to those on the wrong side of the digital divide.”

Left behind

According to Ofcom, 28% of households have difficulty affording a communication service. And while some have likely chosen not to, many more are as keen to get online as the rest of us – they just don’t have the opportunity.

We’re not only talking about elderly people, either: last year’s Ofcom report Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes (pdf) found that 3% of households with children aged up to 18 did not have access to the internet at home. The children’s charity Barnardo’s adds that this issue prevents huge numbers of the youngsters it supports from contacting their key workers.

Charging ahead

Barnardo’s is one of the beneficiaries of the Great British Tech Appeal, a nationwide campaign to get us digging out our old, unused devices and doing some good.

Launched back in 2020, the campaign received more than 1,000 unwanted devices in its first year, and has now handed more than 13,000 to good causes. Any smartphone or tablet can be donated, as long as it works and is usable.

While the numbers are impressive, there’s still an incredibly long way to go. According to a report last December, UK households are hanging on to around 21m discarded mobile phones – the single most hoarded object. So what is it that makes us so reluctant to pass them on?

Wiping our slates clean

One of the big things preventing us from recycling our tech is how complicated the whole thing can seem. Different areas of the UK have different rules, with some tips and retailers accepting old gadgets for reuse while others don’t, and some types of electronics seeming hard to give away at all.

However, rising knowledge and the availability of schemes such as Vodafone’s is starting to address the complexities – provided people can get over one last hurdle.

Like most recycling initiatives, the Great British Tech Appeal recommends factory-resetting your phone, taking out your sim and memory cards, and turning off any “find my phone” services you’ve set up. Even so, every device received by the appeal is data wiped just in case. It’s then boxed up with a cable, charger and six months’ connectivity, and put in the hands of someone who really needs it.

Old phone, new start

As part of its wider campaign to bridge the digital divide, Vodafone has so far provided free connectivity, devices and digital training to 2.6 million people and businesses. Among those to benefit from phones and laptops donated through the Great British Tech Appeal have been refugees, people at risk of abuse, and children in care.

During the Covid pandemic, these gadgets provided lifelines. “At the beginning of the pandemic, some children in care were unable to see their birth families,” says Tony Sleight, a development services manager for Barnardo’s. “We wanted to find a way to enable young people to maintain contact with parents and siblings while not being able to meet in person.

“Vodafone donated mobile phones, tablets, and crucially sim cards with data services attached. These donations really were a lifeline for families at this critical time. Vodafone’s donations – in particular the sim cards with preloaded data – were the difference between young people not seeing their families and enabling them to have a quality, safe time to share their updates and news through what was an extremely challenging time.”

Answering the call

Having a clear-out is a satisfying way to spend a rainy weekend, and knowing your old iPhone can help some of the country’s most disadvantaged get back in touch with loved ones is about as strong an incentive as it gets.

The process of donating to the Great British Tech Appeal is designed to be as hassle-free as possible: you complete a short online form and will then be emailed donation instructions. Then you pack your device using your own packaging and send it for free.

Where possible, devices will be rehomed but those that can’t be reused will be dismantled for parts or to be recycled. There’s no maximum number of gadgets you can declutter. You can even book a mass collection for your workplace if you’ve upgraded your company devices and there’s the benefit of added security with certified wiping of business devices.

Nicki Lyons, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer at Vodafone UK, says: “At Vodafone, we are committed to making sure no one is left behind. We have provided 2.6 million people and businesses with free connectivity, devices, access to social tariffs and digital training so far and are committed to reaching 4 million by the end of 2025.”

Find out more about Vodafone’s pledge to help 4 million people and businesses cross the digital divide