The vast majority of e-waste isn’t disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Read More: The EU Gets 1 Step Closer to Banning Conflict Minerals From Supply Chains ![]() By the end of 2018, e-waste is expected to grow to 50 million tons annually. In the US, more than 16 billion pounds of e-waste were discarded in 2014, or roughly 50 pounds per person. It encompasses computers, televisions, printers, cellphones - any electronic device. But what’s the real journey of a cellphone, from a removed SIM card to a fresh resource?Į-waste, or electronic waste, is the fastest growing and most problematic waste stream in the world, according to The Verge. Other people let phones pile up in old drawers, creating shrines to obsoletion.īut those who try to be environmentally responsible and sustainable often seek out appropriate recycling centers, through which a phone may be refurbished and resold, or its innards may be given a second, rehabilitated life - without damaging the planet.Īt least, that’s the ultimate goal. ![]() Some people throw their old phones in the trash like any other piece of garbage, and they drift through the typical waste stream, ending up in landfills, decaying and leaching toxins into the environment, and causing a loss of $55 billion annually from squandered resources like gold. Globally, more than 5 billion people own cellphones, and many are constantly getting new ones. ![]() Take action: Call on Governments and Business Leaders to Say No to Single-Use Plastics But unlike a heart or liver, most people prefer to get rid of their current cellphone every 20 months or so, when a better model inevitably comes out.Īnd the phone that once seemed indispensable gets thrown away. The devices often seem like extensions of our bodies, sitting in our pockets or handbags like outsourced memory banks or detached organs. Throughout the day, there are hundreds of reasons - mostly trivial, sometimes crucial - for checking our mobile phones.
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