What to do with your mobile once it is out of service or replaced by another? If some have had the reflex to resell their old smartphone, a large part of the world’s population chooses to keep their old device, hidden in the bottom of a drawer at home. Automation well established in consumer lifestyle: Five billion smartphones will still be abandoned this year, according to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), a European directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment.
Parts that can be recycled
Some of our smartphones are made from strategic metals, including cobalt in batteries and copper in cables. These metals are mined, often despite respect for human rights. In fact, the mining industry is very prone to illicit working conditions, where the exploitation of minors or the toxic environment are legion.
Therefore, these materials could be recovered from abandoned smartphones to be recycled and reused for other devices.
Barely 17% of electronics-related waste is recycled today, with the hope of reaching 30% next year.
Consumers cite a variety of reasons
The RAEE also provided in its report the reasons why users keep their appliances or electrical appliances: almost one in two people (46%) think that they will be able to use the object again later, 15% intend to sell it or give it away away and 13% explain that the item has sentimental value. Some people also expect the item to increase in value in the future (9%).
The European Commission has also provided the 5 small objects most likely to be kept by consumers. Small electronic accessories like headphones or remote controls top the list. Then come the electrical appliances such as clocks or irons; computer equipment (hard drives, keyboards, etc.); mobile phones and then small kitchen appliances such as toasters.
However, the number of electronic devices keeping warm in the home is likely to remain considerable for years to come. In 2022 alone, around 24.5 million tons of small electronics and home appliances such as phones, toothbrushes and cameras were produced. And it is estimated that worldwide, 16 billion cell phones are in use today. It remains to be seen how many will be recycled in the coming years.
Source: BFM TV
