| Old Cell Phones-Where Do They All Go?
By James
Mosieur
Last year consumers
in the United States purchased
more than 100 million new cell
phones. Not only was this an
increase over the previous
year, it brought the total
number of cell phone users
in the U.S. to more than 180
million.
You might not
think cell phone waste is a
big problem since the average
cell phone today weighs less
than 6 ounces. However, since
more than one-half of all Americans
now own cell phones, isn’t
it time we take a look at what
happens to our old cell phone
when we upgrade, change or
cancel our service. According
to Inform Inc, a non-profit
institute which keeps tabs
on such numbers, there are
more than 500 million old cell
phones sitting unused in drawers,
closets and desks around the
country. All of these contain
chemicals and substances which
are harmful to the environment
if improperly disposed of.
U.S. consumers
replace between 100 million
and 130 million cell phones
each year. Unfortunately, the
cell phone recycling industry
processes less than 10 million
of these. It doesn’t
take a rocket scientist to
figure out that if there are
already 500 million old cell
phones and we add between 90
million and 120 million to
this number each year – pretty
soon we have a big problem!
This
brings us back to our initial
question… Where do all
the old cell phones go? As
I mentioned a short time ago,
within the wireless industry
there is a segment which takes
these old cell phones and does
one of several things with
them.
• Some are sold for
use in other countries
• Some are donated to
shelters for use in a variety
of emergency (911) phone
programs
• Some are repaired
or refurbished and sold in
the U.S. either as replacement
or pre-paid phones
• Finally, others are
broken down to the essential
elements and recycled
The bottom
line is that U.S. consumers
replace their cell phones approximately
every 18 months which allows
them to take advantage of the
newest technology and features.
In most cases the cell phone
being replaced still works
fine and has a lot of useful
life left in it. Just because
we are through using it does
not mean it has suddenly become
junk.
We all need
to be responsible stewards
of our planet’s resources
and make sure that when we
get a new cell phone we find
a home for our old cell phone.
In most instances your carrier
will offer you a recycling
option, but if not… there
are plenty of places on the
internet to sell your phone,
donate it to charity, or simply
send it in at no cost for recycling.
James Mosieur is CEO of CellForCash.com . He has been in the electronics recycling business since 1985. James writes and speaks on cell phone recycling and related subjects particularly as they relate to the individual consumer.
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