62% of households hoarding, not recycling, old cell phones

December 27, 2012
By WRN Staff

File Instead of recycling or donating old cell phones, 62 percent of us simply hold on to them.

Americans are still hesitant about recycling their old mobile phones.

Almost 2 out of 3 households in America – 62% to be exact – are hoarding their old cell phones instead of recycling them, according to a recent survey from mobile-phone security company Lookout Mobile.

Twenty-one percent of households have one phone they are holding on to; 21% have two; 9% have three; and a stunning 11% -- 1 in 9 households -- are hoarding four or more cellphones, the survey revealed.

Lookout Mobile said another 33 million cellphones were expected to be sold this holiday season as consumers rush to upgrade to newer devices.

The reasons why people hold on to old phones? According to the survey:

1 in 3 said "they just don't know what to do with their old phones."

1 in 6 said "they have not yet erased the information on their old phones."

1 in 8 said "they are concerned about the information on the old phone being exposed."

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