Cellphones have quickly become a bane to society in many ways. Though useful, and to many people a device they cannot live without, they cause constant interruptions and promote poor social manners. New laws enacted against driving while talking on a cellphone point to their role in traffic accidents. Perhaps one of our biggest dilemmas, though, is: e-waste!
A report in the Washington Post states that “there is now one cellphone for every two humans on Earth”, and 30 different nations have more cellphones than people.
The problem is, cellphone users want the latest, newest, most advanced device. And the industry is happy to respond to those cravings. After all, that’s what makes it profitable. In fact, many phones are replaced by new models before being used for even two years.
In Canada alone, it’s estimated that an astonishing 40,000 cellphones are discarded daily, according to the Recycling Council of B.C. That’s why that province has joined an online, national recycling program, RecycleMyCell.ca, which makes it quick and easy for people to find local drop-off locations where they can take their unwanted phones, including headsets, batteries, chargers and other accessories. Even if no locations exist within your vicinity, you can mail your used phone free of charge.
The phones are then sent to a recycler to be dismantled with the goal of reusing as many parts as possible. B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner says that more than 95 percent of the materials in an average mobile device are recyclable.
Since the recycling program is paid for by cellphone providers like Telus and Bell, it puts the onus where it belongs and fosters accountability. The Recycle My Cell program was created and is maintained by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.
“This program diverts e-waste from our landfills… and makes producers responsible for the life-cycle management of products they sell in B.C.” – Barry Penner
Because cellphones have crossed the divide between rich and poor, as well as all national and ethnic barriers, their impact on the environment is global. In Albania, for instance, it is commonplace to see an older person talking on a cellphone, while riding a donkey! In India you can witness a beggar taking a break from his ‘work’ to talk on his cellphone. In fact, almost 60 percent of cellphone users are in developing lands. Perhaps if developed countries take the lead in recycling and diverting e-waste from landfills, programs in other parts of the world will take root and help to minimize the ecological impact of the communications revolution.
