Recently there has been an increase in the number of companies that have entered the phone recycling business. Companies like Envirofone, Mazuma and Fone Bank are refurbishing these old mobile phone units and either donate them to people who need mobile phones but do not have the means to acquire them, or sell their metal and plastic parts in bulk for a profit. Other people are also hooked by phone recycling as it encourages them to sell their mobile phones to help the environment. But the question is – is it really worth it?
Let us look at the facts first. In the UK alone, 90 million or so unused and unwanted mobile phones are scattered all over the country with only a mere 3% of the owners ever bothering to have them recycled. This leaves the remaining 87,300,000 old mobile phone units still lying around with the potential to destroy the environment. Most people who own these phones just simply store them in dresser drawers or briefcase bottoms. The rest probably just toss them in the nearest garbage bin.
The problem is that the mobile phones thrown in trash cans just don’t sit there. They often leak harmful radioactive chemicals such as cadmium, lead and beryllium into the soil and nearby sources of water. With millions of people doing this, how can your efforts as one concerned citizen matter?
True, you cannot do much. But it is still a fact that you can do something no matter how little it is. You should be one of the increasing numbers of people who recycle their own phones. Do your share by getting cash for mobile phones and sell them to a recycling company. Whether your intention is partly for the profit or wholly for the environment, you are still helping out in your own little way – and yes, you are definitely making a difference.
