One in three still holding on to their first ever mobile phone as UK's tech trash mountain grows

By KRISTINA WEMYSS, GENERAL NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:12, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 11:12, 21 June 2026 Nokia bricks are cluttering up sentimental Britons’ drawers - as one in three are reluctant to part ways with their first mobile phone, research reveals. Around 880million unused bits of tech are sitting in UK homes, with an average of 30 per household. And among the most prolific offenders are mobile phones. Four in five Britons are holding on to a defunct device, and one in three still have their very first – a quarter of which are old Nokias. Hoarders gave a range of excuses, including that 20 per cent felt sentimental about it. Others said they were holding on ‘just in case’ they might need it in the future (27 per cent), some were concerned about data security or did not know how to recycle the device (23 per cent), and many had simply failed to get around to it (33 per cent). The survey of 2,000 adults, by Currys, found that Britons were largely aware of the benefits of recycling tech.   Among them, 81 per cent knew old devices could cause fires, 77 per cent understood that recycling reduces the need to mine for new raw materials, and 64 per cent knew there are cash incentives available. However, only a third said they had actually recycled tech in the past year. Four in five Britons are holding on to a defunct device, and one in three still have their very first – a quarter of which are old Nokias And those who had were more likely to have recycled old electrical items such as TVs or kitchen appliances than mobile phones. Refurbished devices, however, have proved popular. The research found that 41 per cent of consumers had bought secondhand tech. Uptake varied by age though, with half of those aged 18 to 34 using refurbished devices, compared to just 29 per cent of over-55s. Currys communications chief Paula Coughlan said: ‘People understand why recycling tech matters, but too often that’s where it stops. ‘Our ambition is to give tech its longest life, making it simple, secure, worthwhile and reassuring for customers to pass it on.’ Last year alone, 5.5million items of E-waste were collected for reuse and recycling across the Currys Group.  Customers can get a cash incentive or trade in their devices, and it also offers a growing range of refurbished tech. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.