Give us your old phones

IF Santa brings you a new mobile phone for Christmas, don't forget you can put your old one to good use - you can recycle it for charity.

Some of the UK's leading charities have teamed up with specialist recycling company The Recycling Appeal to run eco-friendly fundraising appeals, meaning every mobile you donate can generate vital funds for your chosen cause.

The phones are refurbished and resold, with a substantial portion of the proceeds going to charitable organisations. All you have to do is choose which charity you want to donate to - Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, the Royal National Institute of the Blind, the Children's Hospice Association Scotland or Northern Ireland Hospice Care.

"When people receive fancy new mobiles for Christmas, their old phones are often forgotten about,” Jamie Rae, chief executive of Eurosource, said. "These phones join the UK's estimated 75million redundant mobiles - enough phones to stretch from London to Lapland more than three times. If you get a new mobile this year, choose a charity and give it a fantastic Christmas present - your old mobile!”

Whilst the festive season provides a fantastic opportunity to recycle old mobiles, there's another product which can also be recycled for money - empty printer cartridges. These too can raise much-needed cash, so if you work in an office, or have a printer at home, you have the potential to boost charity funds.

If your workplace uses company mobiles, or printer cartridges, you can ask to make regular donations - we'll either send out freepost bags, or send a courier to your premises every few months to collect your donations. What's more, The Recycling Appeal can set up an account which allows regular donors to support any charity they want, including local causes.