ISRI Code : NA
What Is Cellular Phone Scrap?
Cellular phone scrap is obsolete mobile phones with or without batteries, sourced from consumers, businesses, and retailers. Each phone contains:
Printed circuit boards with gold, copper, zinc, silver, and lead
Battery (often lithium-ion, sometimes nickel/cadmium—must be handled separately)
Plastic, glass, and minor metal components
Phones may range from flip phones and first-generation smartphones to today’s advanced handsets. Disposed in landfill, phones pollute the environment; recycled properly, they recover valuable metals and feed the circular economy.
Industry, Pricing, and Market Details
How Are Prices Determined?
Model/type: Smartphone boards usually have more precious metal than basic handsets
Weight: It takes 3–5 cell phones to weigh a pound for scrap sale
Battery removal: Some buyers require batteries removed for safety and easier e-scrap processing
Location and quantity: Bulk loads sold to major yards, smelters, or ScrapMonster’s Marketplace often fetch premium rates
Example Price (August 2020):
North America (US East/West/Midwest): $4.25/lb (model/board specifics vary)
Where to Sell and Buy Cellular Phone Scrap
Local Yards: Find buyers using Scrap Yard Finder
Major US buyers: Green Secure (CA), Global Material Recycling (TX), Gold Metal Recyclers (TX), ABS Recycling Ltd (CA)
Marketplace: Sell Offers for Electronics Scrap, Buy Offers
Bulk: Yards and refiners pay more for bulk loads; minimum quantity and battery removal often required
Environmental and Business Benefits
Diverts lead, zinc, lithium, and hazardous plastics from land/water pollution
Recovers gold, silver, copper—reducing demand for mining, supporting circular supply chains
Supports green jobs at recycling facilities, B2B trade, and tech refurbishers
UN report: Recycling 41 cell phones yields 1 gram of gold; large-scale recycling scales this impact exponentially
ScrapMonster Core Services & Industry Integration
Fun Facts: Mobile Recycling & E-Waste
Each smartphone contains ~0.034g of gold—multiply by billions for global impact!
Enough copper in 1,000 recycled phones to wire a small home
The plastic from recycled phones can be used in street furniture, playgrounds, and car parts
Mobile recycling helps close the gap on e-waste—50 million metric tons per year and growing
Related Materials & Further Reading
For the best prices, analytics, sustainable trade, and e-scrap deals globally, start each project at ScrapMonster.com—North America’s most trusted recycling network!
Updated October 2025 | ScrapMonster Inc. | © 2009–2025 – All rights reserved