What should I do with my old mobile phone in France?
Phones should not be discarded in your domestic household bin
Some stores will recycle your old phones
Billion Photos / Shutterstock
Reader Question: My husband and I want to buy new smartphones but are not sure what to do with our old ones. We do not want to just throw them away.
Answer: There are several ways to dispose of your old mobile phones in France that do not involve throwing them away in the bin.
While there are no penalties in place for doing so, it is bad for the environment and alternatives exist.
Regardless of how you choose to get rid of the phone, it is advisable to wipe all personal information from it – photos, contacts, apps, etc – remove your sim card, and wipe all the memory before passing it on.
Specific instructions for how to do this for your model of phone can be found online.
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Sell or exchange your old phone
You may be able to sell the phone for a little bit of money that can be put towards your new phone.
If it is a smartphone and not damaged, you may be able to sell it second-hand to a local shop or privately through a website such as Leboncoin.
You are unlikely to get much for it but it is better than nothing.
Depending on the model, you may also be able to part-exchange it for a newer one, either through an electronics store such as FNAC or a mobile service provider, although this is usually only applicable for newer models.
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Donate or recycle your phone
If the phone is too old to be sold or is damaged, you can recycle it in an eco-friendly way or donate it to those in need.
Electronics stores larger than 400m² are required to accept small old electronic goods including mobile phones.
You can use the government search tool to find a store close to you that will accept an old mobile or other device. Scroll down to the Les outils pour m’aider section and put ‘téléphone mobile’ into the search field and your address.
A list of other large stores and tips that accept old electronic devices to be recycled can also be found here (put ‘smartphone’ in the search box).
Phones can also be donated, such as through the Je donne mon téléphone website.
‘Eco-drives’ can see organisations collect old electronics to be donated or re-used. Contact your local mairie to find out if one is happening in your area soon.
Mobile service providers in France are required to accept old phones at their stores – some work in partnership with national charities to repurpose them and give them to those in need.
