With the constant growth of technology and excessive consumerism that we live today, you have thought about how many cell phones you have replaced or disposed of throughout your life? And how many of them have you recycled?
Bringing a cell phone that you consider waste to a recycling center is very important, since with proper treatment, up to three quarters of it can be used again.
In this post we will explain briefly, how each of the cell phone materials are separated when you take them to a recycling center
Cell phone recycling
Cell phones are composed and separated as follows:
45% of your cell phone is plastic, 80% is recycled to be used as raw material in other industries.
The remainder of this plastic is transformed into energy in the smelting process to recover the other materials.
20% of your cell phone is copper and is used for construction, electronics and transport. Tin is used for food and beverage cans and nickel to make stainless steel and aluminum.
The batteries are processed to recover materials and be used to obtain raw material.
20% of your cell phone is aluminum and other metals such as palladium, platinum and gold, which are recycled for use in other objects.
And the remaining 10% is ceramic and glass and they are used as raw material.
Non-recyclable materials can be used to generate energy.
The increase in the prices of the cellular equipment is generating that every time we take more time in changing of model, this is with the purpose of stopping a little the boosted consumerism and the indiscriminate elimination of cellular telephones.
The market for reconditioned equipment has grown considerably, since by giving a second life to cell phones that we no longer use, it avoids the consumption of more cellular equipment.
There are models that are too old or too damaged to have a second life, these phones should be given a special treatment, in order to eliminate them, not just throw them in the dump.
The environmental impact of mobile phones is very high. According to the UN, around 50 million tons of electronic waste are generated annually worldwide.
Between 70% and 90% of the materials could be reused from this new type of garbage, with the appropriate treatment.
There are several options and alternatives to bet on when we get rid of our old cellular equipment, investigate which one is best for you and help the planet to improve.
