Charging mobiles wastes CO2

Brits overcharging mobile phones leads to the creation of 85,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, according to research.

Comparison site Moneysupermarket.com said that the waste amounted to £40m extra on our electricity bills.

Young people are the worst offenders, with 49 per cent admitting to overcharging their mobiles by an average of 7.3 hours every time they plug them in.

"The average phone only takes about two to three hours to charge up and overcharging can actually be damaging to the battery life," said James Parker, manager of mobiles at Moneysupermarket.com.

"People should remember to unplug the phone charger when they are done; it will not only be good for the phone’s battery life, but good for their wallet too," he continued.

The company also advised mobile phone users to wait until the battery on the handset was dead to recharge in order to prolong battery life.

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