Hand in your old phone? Here they are jumping for your device

Do you have a new phone? Cool! Don’t throw away your old device, because there are more than enough parties that can do good things with it. You can hand in an old telephone to these organisations.

Hand in your old phone? That is possible with these organizations

The average smartphone has a lifespan of a few years. After this, the majority of the appliances end up in a kitchen drawer or are even thrown away. That’s a shame, because old telephones are worth money.

By handing in an old telephone you can, for example, improve the lives of sick children and people suffering from dementia, help with the training of guide dogs or do something about the climate crisis. Below we discuss organizations that can do good things with your old phone.

1. CliniClowns

At CliniClowns they are eager for your old telephone. The organization, which is committed to sick children and people with dementia, receives a fee per device.

This money is used to send clowns to sick children, children with disabilities and people with dementia. In this way they can focus their attention on something else for a while and they feel seen and understood.

CliniClowns works together with Eeko for the collection of old telephones. This organization has collection points throughout the Netherlands, for example in hardware stores and electronics stores. It is also possible to request a free collection box. This is useful when you are going to collect a large amount of mobile phones or telephones.

Eeko also takes care of further processing. Usable smartphones and tablets are resold, faulty models are repaired and completely faulty phones are recycled.

→ Visit the CliniClowns website

2. Wecycle

You can also hand in old telephones at Wecycle. The service has more than 13,000 collection points throughout the Netherlands.

You will find these collection points in (large) supermarkets, garden centers and recycling centres. At Wecycle you can not only hand in old telephones, but also other electronic devices.

Wecycle is a recycling service. Electronic waste (e-waste) is collected and then recycled in a responsible manner. The aim is to reuse as many raw materials as possible. With a telephone, things like the battery, plastic and rubber are reused.

→ Visit the Wecycle website

3. Stichting Aap

Many people love monkeys, but we don’t always take good care of them. As the name suggests, Stichting Aap wants to change this. This club takes care of neglected monkeys and other exotic mammals.

The Aap Foundation rescues animals that were illegally kept as pets or that were locked up alone. The organization is also committed to tackling the problem at its core. Stichting Aap advocates, among other things, for better laws to stop the suffering of exotic animals.

Of course, all this costs money. You can therefore support the foundation by handing in your old smartphone. Request a collection bag for this via the website of Stichting Aap. You can also hand in old cartridges.

Is the bag filled? Then hand it in at a collection point. You can find these return bins in, for example, community centres, veterinarians and pet shops.

→ Visit the website of Stichting Aap

4. KNGF Guide Dogs

Are you crazy about four-legged friends? Then consider handing in your old telephone to KNGF Guide Dogs.

The foundation receives a fee for each copy submitted. That money is used to train dogs. As soon as the professional training has been completed, the four-legged friends get to work to enable people with disabilities to live as independently as possible.

Do you want to hand in your old phone to KNGF? The collection points are mainly located at veterinarians and pet shops. As with other charities, you can also send several phone calls at once by requesting a collection box. You can also hand in old cartridges to KNGF Guide Dogs.

→ Visit the KNGF Guide Dogs website

Choose your own charity?

There are a lot of charities in the Netherlands. It is therefore impossible to list them all here. If you can’t see the wood for the trees, take a look around on Eeko’s website.

Eeko is the logistics partner of many Dutch charities. They work together with Stichting Hulphond, the World Wildlife Fund and the Terre des Hommes Foundation, among others. At Eeko you can also donate old mobile phones to several zoos and animal shelters, such as Diergaarde Blijdorp and the seal nursery in Pieterburen.

Eeko has collection points throughout the Netherlands. For each location you can see for which charity money is being collected. Eeko is responsible for the collection and further recycling of e-waste. Subsequently, the charity in question receives a portion of the fee.

→ Visit the website van Eeko

Tip: Is there no collection point of the charity you want to support nearby? No problem! You can still hand in your old telephone at one of the Eeko collection points. Simply put the device in a bag and clearly note which organization the donation is for. Eeko then ensures that the proceeds from your old telephone end up with the right organisation.

Please note: you must do this before handing in an old phone

Wherever you take your old smartphone: make sure the device is completely ’empty’. This means: make sure it has been reset to factory settings. This will erase all your personal apps, files, photos, and any locking methods (such as a fingerprint or face scan).

In this way, the charity in question can reuse or resell the device and your sensitive information does not end up on the street. In the article (and video) below, we explain in detail how to reset the factory settings.

→ Further reading: 4 ways to factory reset your Android

Another option: hand in your old phone for money

In addition to being able to donate an old phone, you can of course also hand it in for money. This is easiest to do when purchasing a new one. You can hand in your old phone at more and more shops and providers and get a ‘discount’ on a new smartphone.

This works, for example, at the MediaMarkt, Coolblue and T-Mobile. The amount you receive for your old phone depends of course on the model. For example, a brand new Samsung Galaxy S23 naturally delivers much more than a dated Nokia. The return price also depends on the external condition, any defects and accessories.

→ Read also: 9 new ways to give your old phone a second life