O2 Recycle’s made a phone out of… grass

If you’re looking for something a little different in your next phone handset, O2 Recycle has you covered. Their latest smartphone is made from freeze-dried Twickenham Stadium grass, and recycled bits of other phones. It’s basically a Frankenphone, and we like it. Though possibly not as much as this lady:

O2 Recycle unveils the UK’s first phone made from grass… and recycled phones parts

It’s only a prototype at the moment (I can’t see it going mainstream, but then the BlackBerry Passport sold 250k, so who knows), designed to celebrate the launch of Recycle for Rugby: part of the RFU’s new Try for Change programme to promote rugby as a force for good.

BUCK_O2_Twickenham_Phone-21

Designed by Sean Miles, the grass phone took 240 hours to make, from pulping the Twickenham grass clippings to moulding them into a template, encasing them in eco-friendly resin, then bonding the whole thing together with locally-sourced wood buttons. The grass-clad Windows Phone is apparently fully functional, but probably doesn’t smell like fresh cuttings anymore.

O2 Recycle unveils the UK’s first phone made from grass… and recycled phones parts

Bill Eyres, Head of Sustainability at O2 comments:

“By creating this phone we are demonstrating how two of O2’s passion points – rugby and O2 Recycle – can come together, as a force for good.

O2 Recycle offers a simple, sustainable way to recycle unused gadgets and receive a cash payment in return whilst at the same time backing a great cause and recycling for rugby. We are calling on  people across the country to recycle unwanted gadgets and help raise the £350,000 we have pledged to support the RFU’s Try for Change social responsibility programme, aimed at promoting rugby as a powerful tool for social change.”

You can recycle phones, tablets, MP3 players, handheld games consoles, digital cameras and sat navs with O2 Recycle for up to £260 depending on the gadget and condition. A portion also goes to O2’s Think Big youth fund.

Holly Brockwell