Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is urging anyone who received a new mobile phone for Christmas this year to donate their old handset to the charity so they can recycle it.

In 2005 alone Dogs Trust raised over £50,000 by recycling old mobile phones and used toner cartridges from printers.

In the UK over 15 million mobiles are left unwanted, every year. In partnership with electronic waste management company Reclaim-It, Dogs Trust is asking people to:·Request a free-post envelope – all you need to do is pop the phone or cartridge inside and post it to Reclaim-It for free.

Alternatively, shops or businesses can request a display box that holds free-post envelopes for staff. When it is full it will be collected and replaced.

Clarissa Baldwin, Dogs Trust Chief Executive, says; “This is a great scheme that not only helps people with their post-Christmas clear-out, but it also means you can really make a difference too.

By recycling your old phone handset you will be helping us to raise money for the 12,500 stray and abandoned dogs that Dogs Trust’s 15 Rehoming Centres care for every year.”

To request a free-post envelope or a display box and envelopes please call 020-7837 0006 or visit the Dogs Trust website at www.dogstrust.org.uk