Over half of mobile phone users keep their old phones at home and just 14% hand them in for recycling, national statistics agency CBS says in a new report.

Old laptops and tablets are also more likely to disappear into a drawer than a recycling bin, and environmental concerns are bottom of the list of specifications which users look for in a new phone, the agency said.

Larger pieces of IT equipment, such as old personal computers are more likely to be recycled – around 36% are handed in for reprocessing.

The over 65s are most likely to recycle their old phones – almost one in four do so and only 15% give them away.

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Between 60% and 70% of the 5,800 people in the survey said speed and memory are the most important things they look for when choosing a new phone while 50% say the price is key. Just 10% look at how much energy a phone uses and 5% are interested in how environment-friendly a phone is.

The research also showed that 91% of the population aged 16 and over had a smart phone, 70% a laptop and 50% a tablet. Around three in 10 of those polled had a personal computer.