Last August, Apple expanded its recycling program in the United States to allow customers to turn in their used iPhones and iPads for Apple gift cards.

uk iphone recycling
As noted by Macworld UK and Macerkopf.de [Google translation], Apple has once again expanded its recycling efforts by bringing a similar initiative to the UK, France, and Germany. But rather than offering payment in the form of an Apple gift card, the program in these countries offers users cash deposited into their bank accounts.

With the Reuse and Recycling Programme, you could turn your old equipment into a brand-new Mac, iPod, iPhone or iPad.

Whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC computer, working or not, we’ll take it and determine if it qualifies for reuse and has a monetary value. If it does, the amount will be credited directly into your bank account. If it doesn’t, you can recycle it responsibly through one of our free recycling programs.

The program, offered in conjunction with the German arm of electronics recycler Dataserv, builds upon Apple's existing programs for recycling Macs, PCs, batteries, iPods, and mobile phones.

Apple supports recycling efforts in a number of other countries through third-party organizations with details for each region of the globe available from Apple's main recycling program pages.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone

Top Rated Comments

WeegieMac Avatar
169 months ago
My 20" Aluminium iMac from mid 2009?

Cost me £829 ... offering me £147 if I wanted to sell it.

iPhone 4 16GB black? Cost me £500 new almost a year ago to the day (warranty expires in 2 days) ... £177.

I'd rather rub my balls with sandpaper.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ants42 Avatar
169 months ago
Nice one, Apple

iPhone 3GS 32GB (white, working condition)

cash4phones: £111.11
Mazuma Mobile: £108.00
envirofone: £102.11
Apple: £52.00

Nice one, Apple.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrboult Avatar
169 months ago
iPhone 3GS 32GB (white, working condition)

cash4phones: £111.11
Mazuma Mobile: £108.00
envirofone: £102.11
Apple: £52.00

Nice one, Apple.

That's is amusingly poor on Apple's part.

My 20" Aluminium iMac from mid 2009?

Cost me £829 ... offering me £147 if I wanted to sell it.

iPhone 4 16GB black? Cost me £500 new almost a year ago to the day (warranty expires in 2 days) ... £177.

I'd rather rub my balls with sandpaper.

I nearly soiled my self with laughter at that comment.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TwoBytes Avatar
169 months ago
iPhone 3GS 32GB (white, working condition)

cash4phones: £111.11
Mazuma Mobile: £108.00
envirofone: £102.11
Apple: £52.00

Nice one, Apple.


Really? Where did you get apple's pricing? this is a joke! Oh dear apple..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Phil A. Avatar
169 months ago
Most people that take advantage of apples program are not worrying about getting every penny they can but more interested in recycling an old device so it doesn't end up in a land fill.
Other companies that buy your old phone don't landfill them - they are recycled: This from Mazuma Mobile


Mazuma Mobile aim to reuse over 95% of the mobile phones received in various developing markets where the cost of new mobile phones is sometimes unaffordable.
Where mobile phones are not reusable, we promise to recycle them in the most environmentally friendly way.
We are a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Authorised Treatment Facility and are ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Accredited.
You also have to take into account the usual tricks played by these people. They will offer say £100 online and you send it in and then they offer a lower price based on some random reason, e.g. scratched, etc.

The £52 offered by Apple is more realistic and probably what the others will offer in reality.

Edit: Reviews like these are typical of such recycle companies (this for envirofone):
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews98440.html
I've never used envirofone, but have recycled loads of old phones through mazuma and have never had so much as a single penny less than the offer made online and they pay cash into your bank within hours of receiving the phone

Whatever way you look at it, the apple option is not a good deal compared to the rest of the market
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LastLine Avatar
169 months ago
Bottom feeders. Its a scam.



Recycled=Sold to third worlders at exorbitant prices no doubt.

Doesn't Apple at least donate the usable stuff to schools etc?
Who cares? Ultimately you're recycling - if a company can make a profit on that and employ people because of it? Fair play to them.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...