Dunfermline the greenest town in the UK

The number one spot for being the most gadget conscious town in the UK and therefore the most environmentally responsible by trading in their devices is Dunfermline, Scotland, with residents in the Rosyth area trading in the most mobile phones. In England, Bristol was named the most gadget conscious town.

Dunfermline is not alone in its efforts, Compare and Recycle has also identified towns across the UK notable for their green attitudes towards tech consumption. 

Top performing regional towns in the UK: 

• Emersons Green trades in the most devices in Bristol
• Bridgend recycles the most gadgets in Wales
• Battersea trades in the most devices in London
• Loughborough recycles the most devices in Leicestershire
• Huntingdon recycles the most gadgets in Cambridgeshire
• Stockton-on-Tees recycles the most gadgets on Teesside
• Bracknell recycles the most devices in Berkshire
• Newton Abbot recycles the most devices in Devon
• Farnborough recycles the most devices in Hampshire
• Sheerness-on-sea recycles the most devices in Kent

Globally, around 40 million tonnes of e-waste is improperly disposed of every year, and much of it is sent to developing countries where it ends up in landfill, is illegally traded or burned for raw materials. Containing metals including lead, cadmium and mercury, when not properly recycled, our smartphones and digital devices can contaminate the environment. Polluting the air and water, these toxins can be lethal for people, plant life and animals living nearby.

Matthew Moreton, Managing Director at Compare and Recycle, said: “As consumers, we are increasingly aware of the strain we are putting on the natural world through buying new things rather than recycling and reusing. While the majority of mobile phone manufacturers continue to avoid finding innovative ways to safely recover materials and re-use them for the production of new devices, it is great to see so many people from across the UK recycling their devices and taking steps to be more mindful with their tech. 

“Not only will trading in older devices protect the environment by keeping valuable materials in circulation but it can also earn consumers money. And, by purchasing a refurbished phone instead of a brand-new one, consumers can expect to pay less for a high-quality handset and extend the lifetime of a device, reducing its environmental impact. 

“We're inspired by people from Dunfermline initiating the change and using Compare and Recycle to keep their phones away from landfills. Over the past five years, we managed to prevent almost a million mobile phones from being wasted away. If everyone recycled their unwanted devices there would be a huge positive impact on the environment, reducing the amount of e-waste generated. Well done Dunfermline, keep up the good work!”