US based handset recycling firm, ReCellular has announced their top 10 most recycled phones for 2008. The first annual list illustrates how rapidly wireless technology becomes outdated, and how consumers often discard phones for the technology of their new phones, rather than functional problems with their old phones.

ReCellular is on track to collect six million used cell phones for reuse or recycling in 2008. Of the total phones ReCellular has processed to date:

Motorola leads the list, making four of the top 10 models

The RAZR V3M and C139 are the newest models, introduced in 2006

80 percent of the Top 10 phones were still functional, eligible for reconditioning and reuse

“Three years ago, the most popular trends were ultra-compact handsets and the first entry-level camera phones,” says Chuck Newman, CEO of ReCellular. “Today, those phones are being retired in large quantities as consumers are moving toward newer technologies, especially smart phones and multimedia-enabled handsets.”

Based on the these trends, ReCellular expects the best-selling models of today -- such as the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry Curve -- to appear on the list of top recycled models in 2009 or 2010.

“The average American replaces their cell phone every 18 months, which is a great challenge and opportunity,” says Newman. "The challenge is there are over 130 million phones retired every year, potentially creating 65,000 tons of dangerous electronics waste.

“The opportunity is diverting that waste through increased reuse and recycling efforts. Most discarded phones are still functional, and are ideally suited for reconditioning and reuse to meet the global demand for affordable, functional handsets. Recycling obsolete phones would reclaim valuable materials that could be used to replace virgin materials needed for new cell phone production.”

Source:cellular-news