Children's hospital benefits as old cellphones pour in for recycling

Andrea Parker from the Starship Foundation with some of the 5287 cellphones donated so far. Photo / Greg Bowker

Old mobile phones are being swapped for cash that will go towards buying medical equipment for the Starship hospital.

More than 5000 phones have been received by the Starship Foundation since it launched the scheme last week in partnership partnering with the Irish recycling company Folamh.

The phones will be renewed, reprogrammed and repacked before being sold.

Up to 60 per cent of the funds raised will be given to the foundation.

Chief executive Andrew Young says donating an old mobile phone will benefit children at the hospital, as well as helping to reduce the number of phones that end up in landfills.

"More than three million people have a mobile phone in New Zealand and they upgrade these - on average - once every 18 months," Mr Young said. "That means more than two million phones could become obsolete or no longer in use every year. We want those phones so they can be put to good use for Starship kids."

* Anyone wanting to donate a mobile phone can visit their nearest ASB Bank branch or selected Telecom stores to get freepost appeal envelopes - which are also being distributed through newspapers nationwide - or visit www.starship.org.nz/phone