RIYADH: Saudis are being urged to recycle their old phones and computers under a government-backed campaign to cut waste.

Individuals and businesses will be able to hand over their old electronics under the Recycle Your Device initiative from the Communications and Information Technology Commission. The devices will be safely broken down for parts or repaired and given to needy families.

Old mobile and fixed phones, modems, printers, laptops and desktop computers are priorities for the commission.

The scheme launches this month for businesses and next month for individuals, and runs until December. A CITC website will soon be launched with information on how to hand over devices.

The commission said the initiative is part of its social responsibility to boost sustainability, and follows its first report on its goals to cut waste and boost recycling.

Recycle Your Device was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the National Center for Waste Management, and the private sector.