School recycling cellphones

What can you do with an old flip-phone or brick phone?

You can either play snake, or if you are at Tainui School, you can give it to be recycled.

Members of the school community have been collecting cellphones for the past two weeks, amassing 29 different cellphones from iPhones to Nokias.

The phones are being collected for RE:mobile, which will recycle the phones and use 95% of the material for other products.

Tainui School principal Shelley Wilde said a lot of laughter had been created by people around the school remembering old styles of phones.

"We’ve been very surprised by the number that have been dropped off and lovely to know that they’re going to be recycled rather than dumped."

Tainui School pupils Josh Walker, 11, and Georgia Murray,10, use flip-phones that have been given to the school as part of the RE:mobile phone collection box. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON

Pupils were not high users of cellphones, so the majority of donations had come from whānau, she said,

"I didn’t even know that this scheme existed, and it just came through as an email to the office.

"With most new things, you have a quick glance to see if it’s appropriate, and we decided, ‘why not?’"

Pupil Georgia Murray, 10, said the flip-phone still looked "modern" despite its age.

The RE:mobile Mobile Phone Recycling Scheme has raised over $3 million for New Zealand charities thanks to the support of businesses, schools, government departments, organisations and many individuals throughout the country.

The proceeds from the scheme help Sustainable Coastlines work towards a long-term vision of beautiful beaches and healthy waters.