The invention of the mobile phone has revolutionized the way people communicate and has changed the lifestyles of the 1.2 billion people who use them, with 14 million of those people in UK alone. Almost every person you see is holding a mobile phone in their hands or keeping one in their pockets. The phone has definitely become an integral part of one’s identity and most people cannot imagine their lives without their phones.
Not very long ago, having a mobile phone was considered a symbol of status. But nowadays, owing to the fact that mobile phone companies have reached a level of tough competition, the mobile phone has become very affordable to people from all walks of life regardless of their financial status. Mobile phone companies never stop upgrading their current models and no one wants to be left behind in this world of fast-paced technology. It is therefore natural for people to get rid of their old units and replace them with the latest models.
What happens in the process, however, is that one simply discards the old and used mobile handsets without thinking much about them. Nevertheless, the fact remains that discarded mobile phones create a huge bulk of metal waste that is harmful to the environment. The world is facing environmental problems in the form of a huge volume of non-recyclable waste. Mobile phones now belong to this long list of waste. Therefore, the need to recycle phones is definitely a global concern.
