UK mobile phone provider O2 has announced that by 2015 it will no longer offer phone chargers with its handsets, as part of a new initiative called “Charger out of the Box,” which suggests that since most people have a compatible charger anyway, they don't need another.

According to the O2 release, there are already over 100 million unused chargers in the UK. When you combine this with the fact that over 30,000,000 handsets are sold in the UK every year, that number is set to grow exponentially – something O2 is keen to remedy.

However, if you happen to be switching brands, or find that your old charger stops working and you need something to tide you over while you wait for a new universal or brand specific one to arrive, all new phones will come with a micro-USB to USB charge cable, meaning you can hook your new pride and joy up to a PC or similar device and charge away to your heart's content.

“This is a step towards our commitment as set out in the Think Big Blueprint Sustainability plan; to no longer offer a new charger as standard with a new phone by 2015,” reads the O2 statement. “Doing this will reduce the amount of resources used in the manufacturing and packaging process, the amount of waste sent to landfill and the amount of fuel used for transport.”

O2 trialled this scheme with the HTC One X+, with apparently high levels of customer satisfaction, so it's decided to roll out the scheme to all its handsets.

KitGuru Says: Do you guys think this is a good idea? Makes sense to me but hey, what do I know.

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