The World is full of mobile phones. In fact, there is estimated to be over 1 billion more mobile phones on the planet than there are people! Every single person alive today could have a mobile phone, and there'd still be plenty of spares!
Unfortunately, this inevitably means that there is a worryingly large number of devices lying around unused or going to land-fill, contributing to the world's growing electronic waste problem.
At RueZone, our mission is to promote the idea that re-use is the best form of recycling.
These are the reasons why you should be recycling your old, unused mobile phones:
E-waste can cause health issues for humans and animals
Mobile phones are made with metals like lead, cadmium, chromium, and brominated fire retardants. While these are safely locked away in your mobile phone when it's nice and new, if thrown into landfill, these elements can leak out of the phone over many years and seep into the soil and water. These toxic metals can cause serious health issues if people or animals come into contact with them. Obviously, the less mobile phones in landfill, the better, so you should always recycle your phone rather than throw it away.
A lot of e-waste ends up in developing countries
Most developed countries do not keep their own e-waste, and this is because they know how it could damage people’s health. Instead, they send the waste to developing countries. China has been noted to take most of the e-waste from developed nations. The rest goes to impoverished countries around the world. It is immoral to risk other people’s health in order to save your own, especially when services like RueZone exist. Mobile phone recycling companies like RueZone will typically refurbish the phones and re-sell them. That means no one has to suffer from the harmful elements in the device.
Precious metals such as gold and copper are used in mobile phone manufacturing
People work in very poor conditions to mine metals like tungsten, gold and copper. These metals are used to make mobile phones, and throwing your device away means that you are also reducing the metals in circulation. Instead of being recycled, these previous metals are just lying around, unused in landfills. This is why more people have to work in the mines and suffer in hostile working conditions. Not only this, but mining destroys the natural habitats of many endangered species, including Gorillas. You can make sure more precious metals stay in circulation by recycling your phone.
In conclusion, re-use is the best form of recycling!
We've said it before, and we'll say it again! When it comes to mobile phones, re-use is the best form of recycling! Never just throw your unused mobile phones out. Sell them to us at RueZone, and we'll give your unloved tech a brand new lease of life!
