If you’ve given any thought to cell?phone recycling it may be to consider it an inconvenience. You’re not alone, but cell phone recycling should be a higher priority.??A recent study by Yale University researchers raises some interesting questions. The study found that many of the metals used in the production of cell phones are rare. More concerning, they are not easily replaced by any other material. Most not at all. Makes you wonder if scarcity of materials could be behind so many cell phone providers moving to two year contracts. It could be to encourage consumers to upgrade less often.
Rare Materials
If materials are rare and irreplaceable, what happens when we run out? ?According to Yale News, there is no plan B.?? The main problem is that nothing else that will work. It’s not like substituting applesauce for vegetable oil in your brownies. Cell phone recycling could help because,
not one metal has an ?exemplary? substitute for all of its major uses. And for a dozen metals, potential substitutes for each of their primary uses are either inadequate or do not exist at all.
The study attempts to look at how our finite resources are being utilized. One can’t help but think perhaps upgrading to the latest version of the iphone might not be the best use of those resources. Especially considering that those same resources have other uses, according to Gizmodo:
Take?dysprosium, as just one example. Atomic number 66, substitute rating as poor as they get. Not only is it running low (with shortages?predicted to get problematic by 2020-ish) but its unique magnetic powers are also key in burgeoning green technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines, in addition to in your smartphone. And it’s bad enough that it’s rare, but with no viable substitute in sight, you’ve got double the problem.
So your smartphone or your smart car. These are choices we, as a society, may have to make. There are only so much of rare materials to go around. ?Should they not go toward technology that seeks to improve life for all? Wind turbines maybe?
Cell Phone Recycling
Why isn’t there a bigger push for cell phone recycling? A bigger push for the recycling of other items that contain these irreplaceable metals? ?Sure, most people know that you can?recycle cell phones, but do they? ?Apparently not, according to this snapshot of worldwide recycling,?
?We dispose of over 130 million cell phones every year, of which 11 percent are recycled. Each U.S. household now spends around $1,200 each year on new electronics gadgets, all of which will be disposed of in a few years time.
Old cell phones seem just as likely to find their way into toy boxes as into the recycle bin. Cell phone recycling does not seem to be a priority. Although, many cell phone providers now offer buy back programs. Discounts are given off the new phone for sending back the old one. It’s something, but a push for public awareness seems to be in order.
Edited/Published by: SB
