Mobile phone recycling saves corporations billions
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 - 10:30:29
A number of the world's biggest companies are trying to invest more in the recycling of electronic waste, including things like mobile phones and old computer equipment.
One of the main reasons behind this, according to Waste Management World, is that the raw materials which are used in the production of mobile phones and other gadgets are becoming increasingly expensive.
Most of these are minerals and metals, which need to be mined, but this is costly in itself without there also being increasing problems relating to the actual supply of these items.
In the US, it was announced by network provider, Sprint, that its mobile recycling scheme had allowed it to offset about $1 billion (£637 million), which it would otherwise have had to pay.
Industry expert, Paul Watson, said that many corporations have a relatively short upgrade cycle for their mobile phones and computer systems, with most being thrown out and replaced every 24 to 36 months.
Mr Watson pointed out that this led to a lot of waste in the past, since the precious materials contained within this outdated hardware was still of value.
He said that companies are gradually realising that rather than sending electronic waste to landfill, it is possible and indeed desirable, to actually recycle it in order to recoup some of the costs and, ultimately, lower the production overheads which will impact the next generation of hardware.
Some people are referring to the recycling of old mobile phones and computers as urban mining, because it is, essentially, the practice of extracting precious minerals from the electronic devices that are lying around unwanted in developed areas across the world.
Of course, individual mobile phone owners can follow in the footsteps of major corporations when they recycle their old mobile phones, because you can get paid for doing so.
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