The move comes after research by T-Mobile and MORI IPSO found that there are 52 million unused mobile phones in the country, The Sun reported Monday.

Under the new initiative, T-Mobile is calling for Britons to send in their old phones, whether they work or not, and possibly even get paid for their efforts.

Each phone could be worth up to $160 for its previous owner or a charity of their choice.

"With a stockpile over 52 million handsets sitting redundant at home, there is an opportunity for all mobile phone owners to get their share of this $1 billion," said Devine Kofiloto, Principal Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "The issue of mobile phone recycling has been discussed across the industry for several years – now is the time for people to realize that they can do their bit and raise money either for charity or themselves at the same time."