According to the GSM Association, which is the group that represents mobile phone makers, eighty per cent of your old mobile phone is recyclable. These recyclable elements include the plastic used in your phone casing, as well as the variety of metals that make up your phone, including small amount of gold, silver and platinum.

Mobile phones can be a good way for parents and children alike to get in touch with each other in an emergency, or if one of them is running late for whatever reason. Some phones have a GPS chip installed in them, which allows parents to see where their children are at all times via a laptop computer or PDA connected to the web.

And it is not just your phone that can be recycled, but its accessories too. Any cases, batteries, handsfree kits, cables and mobile phone charge can all be taken away for recycling, with useful elements being extracted for further use.

Another way in which mobile firms are trying to help combat the environmental damage caused by mobile phones is by standardising their mobile phone chargers. Many companies have signed up to an agreement that promises to do just that by 2012, and will mean eventually, when you come to you buy a new phone, you can keep your old charger as it will fit the majority of phones on the market.

If you are looking to recycle your old phone, there are a few steps that you should take beforehand. First of all, be sure to remove your SIM card and transfer it to your new phone if you do not want to lose all of your contact details and saved text messages.

Naturally, the mobile phone manufacturers have managed to find ways to allay these concerns. Most of the kiddie phones that are currently available allow parents to set strict limits on what the phone is used for, and when it can be used.

You may need to carry out further steps to completely erase everything, but this depends on your handset type. To find out what is required to wipe all info off your phone, check by going to the website of your mobile phone manufacturer, or be checking the Cell Phone Data Eraser program online.