Virgin Media O2 helps businesses recycle unused phones and tablets

As new figures show that UK businesses are holding onto almost 12 million unused mobile phones and tablets, Virgin Media O2 is boosting its O2 Recycle initiative to make it easier for companies to sustainably dispose of their unwanted devices.

O2 Recycle for Business has been relaunched to help companies of all sizes trade in their old tech. They can receive cash back, credit towards new devices or donate funds to charity for recycling. Plus it’s available for any company – regardless of their mobile provider.

O2 Recycle has processed more than 3.8 million business and consumer devices since its launch in 2009, and last year paid out more than £670,000 to businesses.

Devices are data wiped and 92% are either recycled or refurbished and resold as ‘like new’ products to customers – supporting the circular economy, with the remainder broken down for raw materials. None of the tech that goes through O2 Recycle ends up in a landfill.

Jo Bertram, Managing Director at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: “O2 Recycle for Business provides companies with a simple way to remove unused devices cluttering their offices – and be rewarded for it.

“Open to businesses of all sizes whether a customer of ours or not, this initiative provides businesses with a responsible method to dispose of their e-waste, all while providing the trade-in value of the device or the opportunity to donate that to our charity partner, Good Things Foundation.”

Making recycling easier

Thanks to enhancements to the O2 Recycle for Business platform, it’s now easier than ever to recycle devices in just five simple steps – including registering multiple devices at once, and arrange a free courier collection to take the devices away.

Recognising that a lot of employees now work remotely or in a hybrid pattern, businesses can now send them a QR code so they can post items to O2 Recycle for free, rather than having to take them into the office.

Businesses can use their credit to buy new devices via O2 or donate up to 100% of their cash back to Virgin Media O2’s charity partner, Good Things Foundation, to support digital inclusion projects across the UK.

O2 Recycle for Business also supports organisations to lower their Scope 3 supply chain carbon emissions by ensuring that devices are more likely to be given a second life.

Visit Virgin Media O2 to find out more.