It's always nice to report on a company striving for eco credibility, that green label being all so important for companies who at least need to be seen to be doing something, even if the impact of their actions is limited.

In this case Orange are starting their Recycle & Reward scheme, which enables people to recycle their old mobiles, laptops and personal music players in UK Orange stores in exchange for cash. The company reckons that "two thirds of Brits have old mobiles gathering dust in their homes which equates to approximately 90 million unused handsets worth approximately £450 million".

The company also states that the scheme is: "Underlining Orange's commitment to becoming a more sustainable, greener business, Recycle & Reward will help reduce the amount of electronic goods sent to landfill and, instead, help consumers obtain a competitive price for them".

In store you'll be able to find out how much your old unit is worth and after you've left the unit with them Orange says you should receive a cheque within 7 days. Examples of of the amount of money you can expect to receive for particular items include, up to £85 for Nokia N95, £75 for a Sony Ericsson C905 and £95 for a Samsung SCH 900. Orange will also recycle electronic devices and accessories with no monetary value.

Orange is also offering a "Copy and Keep" service to enable customers to transfer essential contacts, music, and photos in all Orange retail stores, an attempt to remove the hassle of transferring the data yourself. The service is free to all Orange care customers and if you're not part of their gang then it'll set you back £6.

Paul French, head of care products said: "At Orange, we’ve made some significant strides recently in reducing the environmental impact of our business. For instance, 80% of our electricity now comes from renewable sources while in July we introduced the mini-SIM to
reduce the amount of waste associated with new SIM cards Recycle & Reward is just another small step, for us as a business and for the public, in our journey towards greener, more sustainable practices".

There doesn't appear to be any mention in the release of where and how the products are to be recycled, or whether they will be sold on to - for want of a better term - emerging markets.

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