Only 2% of All Mobile Phones are Recycled, Says Report

Brad Molen  By on 06 Nov 09

This is going to be a bit of a shocker to (we hope) everyone: a new report by ABI Research determined that only 2% of all mobile phones that are no longer being used. This means the vast majority of cell phones are probably either just thrown away or lying around in someone’s basement.

Another surprise is that only 6% of all mobile phones are being refurbished. Thus, only 8% of all cell phones worldwide are being disposed of properly. I don’t think I have to describe exactly what kind of impact this really is having on our environment, I’ll just leave it to you to imagine.

Fortunately this report isn’t all gloom and doom on the future; according to ABI Research, the number of recycled phones should double in 5 years and the total percentage of phones either refurbished or recycled will amount to 18%.

cellphone-recycling

The future sounds much more acceptable, though I don’t believe it’s high enough. So then, what is the best way to dispose of your phone once you have moved on to the next? Most telecom companies offer a recycling program, and their retail stores typically have some sort of recycling bin. Many large electronics stores (Best Buy, as an example) will have a bin somewhere up front. If those options don’t fit your fancy, simply do an internet search for it and several alternatives will pop up.

In other words, there’s really no excuse not to recycle your phone if it’s not working or being of use anymore.

via ABI Research, via Environmental Leader

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