And for some, the used phones become a new phone. Much like the Flipswap venture I wrote about last month, Fonebank helps consumers to protect their local landfill and water table from the toxic waste found in cell phones. in most cases, the old handsets are offered to the poor in areas where cell phones are hard to come by and important for survival.

Makes pretty good sense, doesn't it? You can throw your outdated phone in the bin, or you can give it to someone who needs it, take an active role in protecting and improving our environment, and get some cash back. According to BBC News, Britons can get £102 for an N95. The average payout is £50. Not too shabby a labor fee for filling out a form and dropping your waste in the mail.

Statistically, a quarter of the people reading this have a phone gathering dust in a drawer. Do something with it! Check out Fonebank and Flipswap.