Mobile phone companies were today urged to provide recycling bins for old handsets discarded in favour of newer models.
Fianna Fáil backbencher Mr Noel O'Flynn said disposal units should be laid on at all phone shops for potentially dangerous mobile phones and their batteries.
Eircell’s 088 analogue system is soon to be scrapped by the company.
"I am concerned that an opportunity is being lost to ensure that old phones will not be dumped irresponsibly and end up contaminating the environment," said Mr O'Flynn.
Eircell has organised a pilot recycling scheme but Mr O'Flynn said that would relate only to 12,000 users, rather than the tens of thousands now reckoned to upgrade their phones regularly because of the constant introduction of new models.
He added: "This would be an ideal time to make people fully aware of the benefits of recycling and would be relatively easy to introduce.
"With more than two million mobile phone users in Ireland, the lead in recycling should come from an industry which now has an outlet on almost every main street in the country."
PA