Nowadays, it is pretty much impossible to find a person who does not own a cell phone. The US population spends about 5.4 hours a day on their mobile devices. Furthermore, the majority of us buy a new phone every 18 to 22 months. These stats beg the question: What happens to the older, still perfectly working cell phone models we no longer want?
Unfortunately, the reality is sad: only about 10% of unwanted smartphones are actually recycled. The remaining 90% were eventually discarded, translating into about 100 million cell phones dumped in the US alone! In one of our recent posts, we discussed the importance of recycling electronics.
Why is Dumping an Older Cell Phone a Problem?
For one, electronic devices, including phones, contain several types of harmful components and materials. As one of the fastest-growing types of e-waste, our beloved mobile devices are contaminating landfills and polluting water and air with lead, mercury, and other toxic chemicals. Mercury is known to cause brain damage and is also linked to cancer.
However, you can take steps to properly dispose of your cell phone, which will help reduce pollution. Thankfully, up to 70-80% of the material used in phone production can be reused and recycled.
3 Ways Recycling Helps in the Long Run
- Reducing carbon dioxide emissions. For example, the carbon footprint of an Apple iPhone comes up to 180.25 lbs of CO2-e, the same amount is generated by burning through 8 gallons of diesel fuel. Considering that 217 million iPhones are sold a year, the released CO2-e is now measured in megatons, according to research conducted by Statista. Now, recycling a cell phone allows the reuse of materials during future manufacturing and therefore avoids or cuts down greenhouse gas emissions.
- Saving power. One recycled smartphone yields the same amount of energy needed to keep a laptop computer running for 44 hours!
- Recover rare minerals and halt mining. One million recycled cell phones yield approximately 770 lbs of silver, 75 lbs of gold, and 35270 lbs of copper, all of which are perfectly reusable.
My Cell is Working, but I Want a Newer Model. What are My Options?
#1: Selling.
To sell an old phone sounds like the most obvious solution, but it is not always as simple. Most of us lead busy lives, which leaves us very little to no time for research, listing, and meeting random potential buyers from Craigslist, which is especially not ideal during the pandemic, or worse, getting scammed on eBay. This is where buy-back companies like Gadget Salvation come in. You can get an instant cash offer, compare quotes, send your cell phone, and get paid for it, all while social distancing from the comfort of your home. Reselling your used cellphone allows you to not only retrieve some cash out of it, but subsequently makes the technology more accessible to a broader population, as used and refurbished phones are much more affordable. But the best part is that the lifespan of that one cell phone extends from 22 months to 9 years on average!
#2: Donating.
Another great option to get rid of your perfectly working older phone is to give it away to someone in need. It might not be the latest smartphone model, but it will immensely help someone who cannot afford to spend money on fancy technology. Secure the Call is an example of a non-profit organization that can help you extend the lifespan of your phones by giving them to disadvantaged citizens for emergency use.
But What About a Broken Cell Phone?
If your phone is broken or just old and has no dollar value, the most sensible way to get rid of it is through local recycling centers. Recyclers make sure your phone is broken down to recover materials that will be reused to make a new device and conserve natural resources. For example, the iPhone 11 logic board is made from 100% recycled materials:
Bottom Line
While technology rapidly evolves and gadgets quickly become obsolete, there are steps one can take to keep them in rotation longer, be it through reselling, donating, or reusing for scrap metal. Properly disposing of used cell phones yields extra cash in your pocket and plays a tremendous role in preserving our Planet. Feel free to contact us about the value of your used technology. We’d be happy to assist!
