British consumers still admit to throwing away unwanted mobiles
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - 12:18:49
Although the levels of awareness about mobile phone recycling have risen significantly in recent years, along with the availability of services which will buy old mobile phones, a new study has found that a small proportion of the UK population still sends unwanted handsets to landfill.
In a survey conducted on behalf of BidGrid, it was found that 16 per cent of Brits have chosen to pop their mobile in with general waste when the time comes to upgrade.
Report spokesperson, Emma Brown, said that part of the problem was that the cost of handsets was relatively low in the modern, smartphone-saturated era, which means that when mobiles pass their usable lifespan or end up broken, some people would rather upgrade to a replacement, rather than pay for repairs, which can leave unwanted devices as extra household clutter.
Twenty seven percent of respondents said that they had sold an old phone, while 33 percent said that they put used devices in drawers or other storage areas at home, where they inevitably end up gathering dust and doing no good for anyone.
Just four percent of those questioned said that they had used a recycling service to responsibly dispose of an old phone.
Analysts found that more and more consumers are getting rid of a perfectly functional phone because they are so locked into the idea of upgrading once every 12 to 24 months. This means that people are throwing away devices which might well be useful to other potential owners.
Handsets which are sent to landfill are not only a problem because they are made of materials that do not degrade over time, but also because they contain harmful components and substances which could do environmental damage if not properly treated, so recycling is always the best option.
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