Electronic waste is increasing exponentially as mobile phone users frequently replace their old phones for latest ones. So mobile phones are often obsolete in bulk. As a result, nearly 90% of unused mobile phones are dumped as e-waste.
Do you agree that a concerted effort on recycling mobile devices would make our planet a little better place to be? I’m sure everyone will.
Why Does Recycling Matter?
What’s distressing about the upsurge in e-waste is that a big portion of it is not even waste. The lack of awareness of how to contribute to a sustainable future is distressing. Those discarded devices can be recycled, reused, or even refurbisheycle
Your used device is handled by an e-waste recycler. It also ensures that its hazardous chemicals are properly disposed of. So don’t worry, you will not be responsible for any explosive mishap!
Did you also know that your handset contains amounts of precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper? Yes, you heard it right; for every million cell phones that are recycled, about 40,000 pounds in precious metals can be recovered.
Let’s amaze you a little more, by recycling your unused smartphones, $60 million in gold, silver, and copper can be saved from being thrown away. Interestingly, 25,000 homes can be powered for a full year by recycling 100 million smartphones because it saves 2 KW of energy. Recycling and recovering the metals could largely reduce the need for mining. It will reduce the strain both on the earth and on the people who are employed to work in hazardous mines around the world.
When You Reuse
Isn’t it a good idea to give your unused or old phone if it still works properly to the one who needs it? Either sell it to a mobile device buyback program or donate it to charity. Choose either way. These secondhand and refurbished phones will be sound alternatives to those with low incomes. Also, these are easily affordable than new ones. You will be, in a way, giving people access to digital products they couldn’t otherwise afford.
You are also simultaneously creating business opportunities for carriers and retailers to resell, rent, or lease used phones. Sounds advantageous!
When you Buy Refurbished
This process involves repairing the phone for any faults and restoring it as new. Some cases involve manufacturing defects, software issues, etc. All these problems make the user return a phone to the company. That phone is repaired just like a new handset and is available to sell again. So if you plan to buy a refurbished phone instead of a new one, it is a smart choice. You get the same look, feel, and features for a lower cost. Isn’t it a profitable deal? Apart from that, you are contributing to saving the environment as well.
Let’s show you some amazing facts on mobile recycling:-
- Your laptop will work for 44 long hours just by the energy produced by recycling one phone.
- We can save energy to power more than 24,000 homes by recycling all of the 130 million cell phones tossed aside annually in the US.
- To your surprise, 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, 33 pounds of palladium, and 35,274 pounds of copper can be recovered by recycling every one million cell phones.
- Your cell phones also contain tin, zinc, and platinum that can be reused.
- Cell phone devices also contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and brominated flame retardants. If tossed in landfills, these can pollute the air, soil, and groundwater.
It’s believed only around 10% of mobile phones are recycled. This needs to change. So, the next time you gift a new smartphone to yourself or your loved ones, don’t discard your old one or toss it into a drawer where it will gather dust. Sell your old phone or consider donating it to a program that provides essential technology to low-income individuals if it is still in good working order.
So it’s never late to consider environmental, economic, and social benefits from recycling, reusing, refurbishing, and selling and trading in used mobile devices. Thus each one of us can make an impact by the next time we go to purchase a mobile phone by trading-in, recycling, reusing, or refurbishing their used device.
