29
Jul
2010
Recycling Your Old Mobile Phone
According to research, it was shown that the average lifespan of a regular mobile phone for any user is about two years. While this value may eventually change as technology improves, it is still a good estimate on how many handsets an average person will go through in a lifetime. With that said, the average adult would have already used about four to five mobile handsets since the time that the technology has become common.
So what happens to these old handsets?
For some, about one or two of these devices would have been lost, stolen or simply in any similar situation where the device would be completely irretrievable, but this still leaves a few more phones that are sitting around. And chances are, these phones literally are sitting around the house.
While selling off or trading in mobile phones are pretty common practices, some people just find the whole process too troublesome to go through, and a phone to valuable to toss into the garbage bin (though some will). But one way or another, all of these old handsets will eventually be joining in with so many other discarded, unused mobile phones that will fill up giant landfills.
It is estimated that about 450 million Pounds worth of mobile handsets are currently unused in the UK alone.
The best thing to do with old mobile phones is to have them sent in for recycling. While this may seem like a waste of time, it is effort well spent. Not only will these devices be given a second use (either as a refurbished unit or as a source for raw materials), but many recycling centers also give out cash incentives to people who bring in their mobile phones.
On a side note, people bringing in their handsets should check the history of their mobile phone to ensure that the device does not have a questionable background. Recycling centers have now focused on searching for stolen devices as well.
28
Jan
2010
Mobile Phone Recycling
Here is something to think about: each year, over a million mobile phones are disposed. The total amount of plastic waste that the mobile phone industry is spewing is already several metric tons. Add in the disposed batteries, extra casings, accessories, and waste by-products from the production processes and you have got a serious amount of waste to deal with.
This is why it is very important for both consumers and manufacturers to take an active role in being responsible for the sake of the planet. Manufacturers are all following their own carbon emission reduction goals, though some are more successful than others.
Take Sony Ericsson and Nokia for example, the two companies have been pretty close to their CO2 emission reduction goals that Greenpeace ranked the two companies as the greenest of all the electronic companies in the world. Other companies such as Samsung have been behind on their plans and have plenty of catching up to do.
For consumers, eco-responsibility becomes more of a personal discipline with a balance of community participation. The easiest thing to do is to simply support eco friendly products such as the SE GreenHeart mobile phones.
Another easy thing to do is to take part of recycling programs such as Orange’s Recycle and Rewards program. There are even incentives for sending in your old mobile phones and electronics.
Recently, Scope (a cerebral palsy charity) held a major recycling campaign for mobile phones. Officially, the world record for the most mobile phones recycled in a week is 952 (according to the Guinness Book of World Records); apparently, Scope surpassed that number.
It is efforts such as these and the continuous work of many individuals that are keeping the spirit of green awareness alive. If you have electronics and other devices that you are planning to dispose of, contact your local authorities or civic groups to locate proper recycling hubs.
Read the rest at Dial-a-Phone UK.
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