Old handsets have a knack of getting handed down, rarely discarded. According to the results of a global consumer survey, conducted by Nokia on 6,500 people in 13 countries as far-flung as Germany, the UAE, USA, Nigeria, India and China, only 3 per cent of people recycle their old mobile phones. This might not seem like such a big deal, but if one considers the fact that the estimated number of mobile phone users in the world is three billion, up to 240,000 tonnes of raw materials could be saved, not to mention the dramatic reduction of greenhouse gases. Nokia, the world's largest handset manufacturer, has come up with a solution. Simply give back the old handsets and their accessories to any of the 1,300 Nokia priority dealers or Nokia customer care centres and get a free gift in return. The company will also plant a tree for your efforts. Says D. Shivakumar, vp and managing director, Nokia India, "We want to contribute positively to the community and the issues that concern it. Ecology is one of the biggest concerns and as an industry leader, we have designed India's first Take-Back programme for mobile handsets. This programme covers not just Nokia handsets, but all mobile phones. That is our unique contribution." The company is working with "qualified recyclers around the world to ensure proper end-of-life treatment of used devices," says Ambrish Bakaya, director, corporate affairs, Nokia India. "Recycling means we don't need to extract and refine as much material for new products, thus saving energy, chemicals and waste. The materials in the phones can be used to make new products or generate energy. By recycling material, a phone lives on in something new and useful, such as park benches, utensils and such like." Promoting a noble concept incurs expense and Nokia has gone the whole hog, with virtually every other billboard proclaiming the benefits of the scheme. Bakaya declines to comment on what the campaign cost, but says, "Though it's only been a month since the campaign was launched, the results are encouraging. This is a long-term initiative and should not be viewed in isolation. We have already witnessed increasing awareness among consumers."