One of the most important cell phone recycling facts is that it can save you from many health complications like cancer, neurological disorders, fertility problems, etc. To know more, keep reading this article.
My dad was against cell phones and he used to scold us for using it. But today he has a cell phone and he keeps calling us from it. Well, this is a short and real life example of people getting addicted to this technology. It has become a necessity, and we cannot even think of living without our cell phone. There are millions of people who use more than one cell phone, and the old ones are just thrown away in the drawers or are just dumped in the trash can. But do you know that cell phones can be very hazardous to nature? Yes, that’s true. The best way to save the environment from the dangerous effects of cell phones is to get it recycled.
Facts About Cell Phone Recycling
There is a huge list of facts about cell phone recycling. To start with, I will tell you a very interesting fact. Over 70% Americans have no idea that their old cell phones can be recycled. Let’s find some more facts in the following points.
- On an average, people in United States purchase a new cell phone every 18 months. In Europe, the frequency is 15 months, whereas in Japan, people get one every 9 months!
- Most Americans own three or more than three cell phones, and more than 14 million cell phones are left idle every 18 months.
- The National Office of Pollution Prevention of Environment, Canada, reports that next year, around 4,500 tons of cell phones, telephone and fax machines will be dumped. This quantity can be compared to the weight of nearly 600 African elephants.
- INFORM Inc., North America, has reports that, 500 million cell phones, weighing over 250,000 tons, are left untouched, which should be given for recycling.
- Do you know what a single cell phone can do if it is just thrown away? It can pollute 40,000 gallons of ground water.
- An estimation shows that from the total e-waste produced by North America, about 50 to 80% is dumped in countries like China, Thailand, India and Pakistan. In these countries, people are given less wages and are exposed to toxic material without any protection.
- A cell phone has toxic substances like antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc, which are very dangerous for the environment. They pollute the air, soil, as well as the water.
- Toxic substances from cell phones may result in many health hazards such as cancer, fertility problems, defects in childbirth, neurological problems, and development disorders.
- Rechargeable batteries of the cell phones are also very harmful. They contain toxic substances like cadmium, lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride, which consists of cobalt, zinc, and copper, and many other heavy metals. These substances may be responsible for lung, liver, and kidney damage.
- In cell phone recycling, many important metals like iron, copper, silver, etc., are recovered, which can be used in other areas. According to the reports given by the Environmental Protection Agency, every 1 million units of old cell phones recycling, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, 33 pounds of palladium and 35,274 pounds of copper is yield. This can saves energy which is used to mine these metals from the earth’s crust.
- One of the largest cell phone recycling company, ReCellular, collects about 25,000 cell phones daily from over 40,000 different collection sites.
- Many people recycle cell phones for money. Yes, you can just give away your old cell phone and can get between $1 to $20, based on the standards set by the company.
By the above facts, you can understand the benefits of mobile phone recycling. So collect your old mobile phones and take them to the mobile recycling collection site. You may or may not get money for it, but remember you are doing this for your healthy environment. Make your family and friends too aware about the recycling facts, and help conserve nature.