Recycling old phones
Recycle old phones with WEEELABEX certification and high recycling rates.
Recycle your old phones with Whale IT Recycling
Recycle your old business phones and mobile devices with Whale IT Recycling. Our specialists are ready to recycle your old phones and securely destroy your data. Our collection service picks up batches of old phones, which are then processed at our facility in Rotterdam. Our team will recycle, wipe, or destroy your old phones.
Why recycle old phones with Whale IT Recycling?
Recycling your old phones is the best option if you no longer use them. Old phones contain many scarce metals, which can be reused as raw materials for new devices. Additionally, old phones contain components that can harm the environment, such as batteries and screens. When you recycle your old phones with Whale IT Recycling, you can be sure that it is done with minimal environmental impact, and that your data is securely handled.
Old phone buyback
Old phones often contain personal or business data that you wouldn’t want to fall into the wrong hands. When selling old phones, it’s crucial to work with a trusted, certified company. Whale IT Recycling certifies data wiping using Certus Erasure software for mobile devices, ensuring that all sensitive data is permanently erased.
After secure data wiping, we give the phones a second life and reintroduce them into the market. You receive an AVG-compliant data destruction certificate.
100% secure and fully circular!
Request a quote online
Request a quote
Old phones are valuable
Old mobile phones contain valuable (precious) metals that can be recovered through recycling, meaning they still hold significant value! To maximize this value, it’s essential that phones are recycled properly. At Whale IT Recycling, we use manual disassembly to separate hazardous components and reclaim valuable materials.
Batteries and screens are sent to specialized recycling facilities.
PCBs (printed circuit boards) are sent to refineries to recover precious metals like gold and silver.
Submitting old smartphones
Recycling old smartphones with Whale IT Recycling is simple.
Follow these steps to submit your old smartphone. Need help? Contact us via phone or WhatsApp, and we’ll gladly assist.
1. Inventory of old smartphones
Send us a list, description, or photos of the old smartphones you want to recycle. We also accept other IT hardware and accessories, such as chargers.
2. Receive a proposal
Based on the information provided, we will send you a non-binding proposal.
3. Pickup or drop-off
If you accept our offer, we’ll schedule a pickup for your batch of old smartphones. Prefer to drop them off yourself? That’s possible too!
4. Purchase invoice & payment
We weigh all old phones and other submitted hardware, recording every measurement on our invoice. Payments are processed within a few days.
5. Certificate of responsible processing
As proof that your old phones were responsibly recycled, we provide a certificate of responsible processing.
Securely destroying phones – GDPR-Compliant
Old phones often contain sensitive company or employee data, making professional destruction essential. At Whale IT Recycling, we specialize in secure data destruction for old phones. Using our in-house shredder, we reduce electronic storage devices to 9 to 11-millimeter particles, ensuring complete data removal. For full GDPR compliance, we provide a destruction certificate with detailed records, giving you complete peace of mind.
Collection service for old phones
Take advantage of our collection service for old phones and other decommissioned IT hardware. Our pickup service is free for 200 kg of old electronics (excluding printers and monitors). At this volume, we can cover the pickup costsusing the residual value of the collected hardware. Have larger quantities? You’ll likely receive a nice return! To ensure an accurate estimate, please provide a clear description of what needs to be picked up, preferably with photos.
““Old phones are valuable! Recycle or sell them today.””
Precious metals in old phones
Curious about the materials (raw materials) found in an average phone?
Since a phone’s electronic components must be connected, it requires highly conductive, corrosion-resistant metals.
Gold is ideal for this purpose, making it indispensable.
An average mobile phone contains the following (precious) metals:
Cobalt: 5-7%
Tantalum (Ta): 0.1-0.5%
Silver: 0.2-0.5%
Gold: 0.01-0.02%
Palladium: 0.005-0.01%
Lithium: 1-2%
Tin: 1-2%
Donate them!
Are your old phones completely decommissioned? By donating them, you can make them truly valuable again. Whale IT Recycling is a proud supporter of the Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital. If you donate the residual value of your old phones through our charity campaign, we will increase your donation by 10%. The Sophia Children’s Hospital uses donations to develop child-friendly treatments, ensuring that young patients can still feel like kids, even during difficult times.
Check out our campaign page for more information.
