In the United States, there are 130 million subscribers. These phones become obsolete more quickly than in other countries because Americans discard them either because they want to be able to download new ring tones or perhaps they want a video phone. Another reason they are discarded is the new law that allows one to keep their phone number and choose another carrier. We may be able to keep our phone number but the new carrier often will not allow us to use our phone because the embedded chip placed in the phone by the previous carrier will not function at the new carrier. The average phone in America is discarded after only 18 months of use. This adds up to 45,000 phones being discarded daily with only 1% being recycled. Since cell phones are small they are often put in the trash for trash pick up. Although the pollutants of phones such as lead which is from solder and arsenic and brominated flame retardants may be small amounts per phone it is the accumulation that is the problem. It is estimated that by 2005 there may be 500 million phones headed to landfills.
There is a solution however. Some manufacturers will take back old phones. Other people can often use this same phone. There are drop off points at stores such as Staples. Radio Shack and Verizon also have recycle programs for these phones.
Collective Good has a web site (www.collectivegood.com) which will provide postage for anyone who wants to send in their phone for it to be recycled.
Half the phones that can be refurbished are resold primarily in Latin America where people can’t afford new phones. The rest go to recyclers who after grinding them in small pieces process them to reclaim the valuable metals such as gold and they can recover the hazardous metals such as lead, copper and mercury.
