THE launch of Apple’s next generation iPhone has the potential to spark the busiest ever month for the mobile handset recycling industry, a Teesside firm has claimed.

Darlington-based sellmyoldmobilephone.co.uk, which offers deals on old mobile phones from more than 25 recycling companies, says the trend to recycle is growing as consumers begin to understand the financial and environmental benefits of doing so.

The most recent spike in recycling happened in January and is understood to be the result of handsets bought as Christmas presents and gift money being spent on upgrades.

However the website believes the latest iPhone is expected to bring with it an “upgrade frenzy”, as seen with the launch of other recent Apple products including previous incarnations of the phone and the iPad.

With more than four billion mobile phones in the world, there is scope to increase the number of handsets recycled, with about 140 million phones ending up in landfill each year.

Graham Miller, director of sellmyoldmobilephone.co.uk, said: “Consumers go crazy for any Apple launch, even when it is simply a new version of an existing product.

“When you put this alongside a growing consumer awareness of the benefits of recycling mobile phones, to the vendor’s pocket and the environment, there is the potential for this launch to be a huge boost to this fledgling industry.

“I believe October, when the new iPhone is slated for launch, could be the busiest month for phone recycling, though it is clear that there are still millions of people not getting on board. The most lucrative handsets to recycle are smart phones, so existing iPhone users have the most to gain from selling on their old handsets.

The longer a new handset has been on the market, he said, the more its predecessor depreciates in value.

“Therefore, an iPhone 3GS 16GB could have a resale value of around £150 in October, but it will soon depreciate as take-up of the new model increases.”

www.sellmyoldmobilephone.co.uk  was launched last year by web development company Edward Robertson. It also allows consumers to review the buyer, helping to build an independent rating for future sellers’ information.