How Phone Users Waste Money & Damage the Environment Needlessly
When YOU Finish With Your Old Smart Phone Will YOU Recycle it?
Read our Infographic, be shocked by the potential for environmental damage, and then Make Yourself a Few Quid by Being Green!
What Will You Do? – When You Finish with your Old Smart Phone?
Original article posted on Nov 22, 2014 : Have you ever considered exactly what happens to your old smart phone when your contract ends?
Do you keep it in the house, until numerous years later when you have to de-clutter, it is so out of date, that you simply bin it? If so, you are needlessly wasting the money it was once worth for recycling, and damaging the environment.
Lots of people do not give this a second thought, with the result that smart phone recycling rates in the UK are dismally low, and this is ending up being a problem that can not merely be ignored.
Not only is this environmentally damaging, but it's obvious how phone users waste money.
The raw products, minerals and sheer quantity of the earth's resources that are consumed to make your phone are larger than you envision. Simply look at the figures in the infographic above. The materials used include for every 6,000 handsets silver weighing as much as one and a half laptop computers, and enough gold to make 50 wedding rings.
Worse still, this amount (which has to be dug out of the earth from huge holes), grows every year in order to fulfill the ever-growing demand for the most recent models.
Put this together with the really brief life expectancy of these phones, and a low current recycling rate in the UK of just 11%, and it's a disaster for the environment. It cannot go on for very long unless phone users step up to the mark and begin recycling in line with the rest of society. After all, household waste is now 40% recycled, so why isn't the phone industry achieving anywhere near the same level of recycling?
This is a massive environmental burden on mother earth but it is even worse when other concerns about the toxic materials in mobile phones are taken into account.
Recycling simply one Lithium-Ion Battery, prevents the possible future contamination of approximately 3 Olympic pools worth of water when these batteries eventually rot away in a landfill.
Now You Should Understand How Phone Users Waste Money While Also Burdening the Environment Unnecessarily
So, now that you know how phone users waste money, and if you are one of them, please think about exactly what will you do when your mobile phone agreement ends!
And, the benefits of recycling go still further. Recycling one million mobile phones is like taking 33 vehicles off the road for an entire year. You should also look at it like this. Recycling 42 mobile phones would conserve the energy utilized by one home for a whole year.
Not only that! Not to recycle your old phone is simply crazy, because you lose out on some easy money! Yes, when you recycle your phone, you will make money on the deal!
The recycling company will pay up to £200 for your old phone if it is a high-end and recent model, with the actual price depending on its type and age/ condition.
Just follow the link to OnRecycle, get recycling, and assist us in saving our world.
Ways How to Reduce the Environmental Effects of Phones
Now that you understand the impacts of phones on the environment and your pocket, what, then, can you do to reduce the harmful effects of phones on the environment?
Here are ways to reduce the environmental effects when using your phone:
- Use Eco-friendly Phone Cases
Instead of using plastic, rubber, or synthetic phone cases, it's best to use eco-friendly phone cases, which are made of recycled and sustainable materials. Aside from being biodegradable, these plastic-free phone cases can give utmost protection against scratches and drops.
- Turn It Off When Not In Use
One way to reduce the harmful environmental effects of phones is to turn them off when not being used. Keeping your phone turned on for 24/7 would easily deplete charge or drain its battery life, wearing off the battery faster. It means more time for charging and replacing your battery sooner, which is additional energy expenditure and more batteries being dump in landfills.
If you can't afford to keep your phone off, set the ultra-saving mode in the settings to conserve energy, keeping its battery life longer. Never leave your phone with the screen lit on even when not in use.
Ways How to Save Money on Phones
While phones can be a lot of waste of money, you can also save money by making sure that you purchase quality phones. It will avoid hoarding cheap or poor quality phone that would need sooner replacement.
While buying a high-quality phone could cost you more on the upfront cost, it saves you money in the long run because of its durability and long life.
Conclusion
Now you know how people waste money and damage the environment because of irresponsible phone use. Recycling your old phone with the help of a recycling company, using eco-friendly phone cases, avoiding hoarding old phones, and responsible phone use can help you save money and save the environment at the same time.
