UNEP warns of emissions link to mobile phone demand

Rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation caused by metal production must be urgently addressed, a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns. RTCC reports.

Demand for metals is expected to rise tenfold as emerging economies adopt similar technologies and lifestyles to richer nations.

1.75 billion mobile phones were sold in 2012, of which 53.5% were smartphones, which use over 40 variants of metal. The average tablet or Apple iPad weighs 650g and contains 1.3g of tin-rich solder.

UNEP says the recycling of electronic equipment has to be radically increased to ensure mining and refining operations around the world do not get out of control.

It estimates that 20-50 million tonnes of electronic waste is produced annually, equating to three to seven kilogrammes per person.

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100 Million Cell Phones Discarded Each Year in China

In China, one of the world's largest cell phone markets, a vast "e-waste" problem must be addressed as 100 million cell phones are discarded each year, according to Shangai Daily.

Citing a United Nations report, the paper said e-waste from discarded mobile phones has grown about sevenfold in China since 2007. That volume is expected to increase as phone use rises and the blitz of newer, fancier models on the market makes last year's phones unfashionable.

About 10 percent of Chinese give away old cell phones to relatives or friends, 40 percent toss them in boxes at home and about half sell the used electronics to second-hand cell phone dealers, according to the newspaper.

Shanghai people are estimated to replace about 6.9 million phones a year.

... Many think that recycling old phones is the answer to the mounting problem. If so, that concept is off to a slow start.

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ATM turns your old phone into cash

New machines offer eco- and wallet-friendly way to ditch your old technology. USA Today reports.

Drop your phone into the EcoATM, and the machine will pay you what it believes the handset is worth. The cupboard-sized machine has a large touch screen and a big metal "mouth" where you can place your old phone or MP3 player. It takes pictures of the device to figure out what kind of shape it's in. Then, you choose one of the machine's many cables to connect your device. The machine will figure out if the device's internals are working.

Read more.

Cell phone tree sends (green) message

An electronics mall in Tien Giang Province (Vietnam) has created a Christmas tree using used cell phones to send an environmental message, reports Phapluat via tuoitrenews.vn.

The three which is 4.5 m high and has 32 layers was made from 2,500 used cell phones collected by the mall’s staff since April.

Tran Hoang Quan, director of Westcom Electronics Mall, said the tree reflected the reality that Vietnam was fast becoming a huge electronic wasteland.

According to a study, Vietnamese are using more than 110 million cell phones and dumping more than 50 million of them a year.

This equals to 400 tons of electronic waste.

The tree will be auctioned off after being displayed and all proceeds will go to a local charity organization, Quan said.

Where mobiles and computers go to die. The Hardware Scavengers of Ghana

Agbogbloshie, just west of downtown Accra, the capitol of Ghana, is one of the places where electronics go to die. Mobile phones, computers, monitors. Some item of value can be scavenged from almost any piece of electronics. The Atlantic reports via @Ken Banks.

The young men who work the dump pull and recycle the metals, particularly copper, out of old electronics. They break down electronics with hammers and hands, mostly to pull out the metals inside of them, which they sell to local businesses.

You have to admire the resilience of these kids, who've come up with a way to make a living on the margins of society. But it's a tough, nasty business. If they need to separate rubber from copper, they burn it, so they inhale the fumes day after day. Many live in Agbogbloshie, so they're exposed to all the chemicals in the e-waste that moves through the place. These kids are shortening their lives, but they don't have any other options.

Read full article.

Nokia robot make of cell phones

Spotted on CNet, a Nokia's Mobile Man made of used cell phones to promote green living in Asia.

Schools Swap Old Mobile Phones For Classroom Resources

Nearly 300 schools across South Africa have already got on board with the Starship School Phone Swap – a new program which helps both the national children’s hospital as well as the schools involved to get valuable resources for their classrooms. [via Scoop Press Release]

Based on the number of phones the school collects, they can ‘cash them in’ for resources – such as Promethean ActivBoard interactive whiteboards, laptops, books, handycams, sports gear and cameras.

For as few as 55 mobile phones, a school can get a digital camera or an interactive whiteboard (including installation and training) starting at 570 phones.

Read more.

Click here for other cell phone recycling programs.

Recycling your cell phone will buy a duck for a family in need

We've heard of cell phone recycling for American soldiers, to help battered women or to feed the homeless, but to buy a duck is a first.

MobileMuster, Australia's official recycling program for the cell phone industry, has launched a campaign to help families living in poverty. "Recycle your old phone and we will give ducks to the Ofcam Unwrapped program" says their website.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, "for every two old mobile phones donated for recycling to MobileMuster by the end of January, the not-for-profit organisation will buy one duck for a family in Mozambique".

"One duck can mean the difference between nutritional health and financial security for a family in Mozambique," Oxfam spokesman Leigh Stewart said in a statement on Wednesday.

Read more.

Flowers for Phones

A new incentive to get people to recycle their old cell phones: a free potted plant.

Golden Triangle, a nonprofit corporation that works to enhance the Golden Triangle neighborhoods, is offering flowers for used cell phones.

In their own words: "Drop off a used phone to be recycled at one of the designated locations on April 13 and 14 and you get a free potted flower to take home and a chance to win one of many cool prizes from Golden Triangle businesses."

[via NBCWashington]

Other innovative incentives:

-- Flipswap offers coffee for used cell phones

-- Rogers Cable and food banks across Canada offer food in exchange for cell phones

Don't Trash Or Stash Old Cell Phones; Recycle Them

As part of National Cell Phone Recycling week, the Environmental Protection Agency is working with mobile phone companies to encourage Americans to recycle the 130 million cell phones they discard each year. The EPA says recycling those phones would save energy, cut pollution and even reap gold, silver and copper.

[via NPR]

Startup uses ATM machine to recycle cellphones

San Diego-based ecoATM aims to reduce all that "e-waste" through the use of recycling kiosks - similar to Coinstar vending machines - that calculate the value of an old cell phone's components, and then pays the consumer on the spot in cash or coupons for depositing the device.

[via Reuters]

UK. Orange gives cash for old mobiles

Mobile phone operator Orange has launched a gadget recycling scheme, reports the BBC.

Under the Recycle and Reward scheme, members of the public can bring their electronic goods to an Orange store and will receive a range of cash rewards.

A recycled Nokia N95 can fetch up to £85 ($140) while a Sony Ericsson C905 could make £95 ($157).

Only 8% of Mobile Phones are Recycled or Refurbished

When their useful lifespan is over, just over 6 percent of mobile handsets are refurbished, and about 2 percent are ethically disposed of. But those numbers are predicted to rise over the next five years, according to a study on Green Mobile Phones from ABI Research.

[via environmental Leader]

National cell phone recycling week starts Monday

A move is on to get the 90 percent of cell phone users who just throw their old phones away to recycle them. The Capital Times reports.

The Environmental Protection Agency and its e-cycling (electronics recycling) partners have dubbed the week of April 6-12 as National Cell Phone Recycling Week, building momentum for Earth Day on April 22.

To help consumers recycle their old cell phones, major retailers and service providers will have drop-off site in their stores, and cell phone makers and service providers are also taking in old cell phones, PDAs, cell phone batteries, chargers and other accessories by mail.

Stores taking part in cell phone recycling include AT&T, Best Buy, Office Depot, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, T-Mobile, LG Electronics and Verizon Wireless.

Flipswap Offers Coffee for Used iPods, Cell Phones

Flipswap has caome up with a compelling sweetener to convince people to recycle old cell phones and iPods -- free coffee. The company, which already gives consumers cash for old devices, has partnered up with Tully's Coffee Corporation

[via Fast Company]

'Mobile Compost' Project Seeks to Salvage Old Phones

In Sweden, an initiative called Mobile Compost is aimed at taking old mobile phones out of circulation, and cashing in on the precious metals they contain. Deutsche Welle reports.

In the little mobile phone shop in a Stockholm suburb, the walls are dotted with the latest cell-phone models. Large-screen cell phones hang next to conventional keypad phones.

A colorful sign on the door that reads "Mobile Compost" informs people that they can also turn in their old phone models here.

... Some 15 million old telephones are tucked away in drawers somewhere in Sweden. Taken together, cashing them in could be worthwhile. One ton of cell phones contains a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of silver and some 300 grams of gold, according to the organization Sweden Refuse.

Related article: - Urban miners look for precious metals in cell phones and links to related articles on cell phone recycling in general.

Which is the Most Recycled Phone?

According to ReCellular, the Nokia 6010 and the Motorola RAZR V3 have topped one electronics recycling firm's list of the most-recycled cell phones in 2008.

...ReCellular CEO Chuck Newman says that the prevalence of such recent models shows how quickly consumers discard their old electronic devices in favor of newer, faster models.

[via PC World]

Handsets for hampers in new recycling venture

Consumers replace roughly 18m phones a year, as they upgrade to better handsets, but a mere 20% of discarded phones are recycled, writes The Guardian. But one company is trying to help.

Coolaphone, a collaboration between ethical online shopping portal Coolawarold and recyling experts Regenersis Environmental Services is offering mobile phone users to swap their unwanted handsets for rewards, ranging from magazine subscriptions to digital music downloads, under a new recycling venture launched today.

Coolafone also gives people something tangible in return for their phone, at a time when many consumers are feeling the squeeze, as well as a feeling of having helped the environment.

For example a Sony Ericsson w850i would get you a luxury hamper from Fine Food Company or a subscription to Marie Clare. Even a really old phone, like a Nokia 1100 will earn a couple of free iTunes downloads.

Nokia kiosks collect phones for recycling

"Nokia has introduced automated kiosks across the central Klang Valley of Malaysia in a bid to encourage people to recycle their mobile phones. cnet News reports.

"As an added incentive for users to recycle their old mobile devices, Nokia will donate a tree for every phone recycled.

Users who recycle their phones can monitor the growth of their trees, as Nokia will provide the coordinates of the tree planted and instructions on how to view the tree via Google Earth. "

Scarlett Johansson + Eva Mendes Say "Answer the Call!"

Hollywood stars Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes are using their sex appeal for a good cause with public service announcements to promote mobile phone recycling. TrendHunter TrendHunter reports.

"The campaign is organized by the Environmental Media Association (EMA) and Lionsgate studio, which hope to spread awareness among the starlets’ fans about how recycling can help lessen CO2 emissions by decreasing the energy needed to create new phones.

The Scarlett Johansson fronted PSA, “Answer the Call!” plays off the poster of her upcoming movie “The Spirit,” which co-stars Eva Mendes.

The PSAs will start appearing in People magazine on Friday, September 19. "

Where Cellphones Go After They Die: A Photo Essay

Technology Review has a fascinating photo tour of a ReCellular facility, where many of the phones "traded in" for new ones end up.

[via Gizmodo]

Samsung shows off new green phone

Samsung has been working to come up with more environmentally-friendly phone designs, and at the Beijing Olympics it took the wraps off the new E200 Eco made from sustainable materials.

The phone features a case made from corn-derived bio-plastic, and is packaged in a non-coated recycled paper box. The phone packs a 1.3 megapixel camera as well as MP3-play functionality.

[gadgetell via Digital Trends]

Related:

-- Samsung Makes Mobile Phones Out of Corn

-- NEC’s ECO corn-based phone

-- Japanese mobile phones to get corny -- and eco-friendly

Only 3% of People Recycle Their Old Mobile Phones

A survey carried out by Nokia has reported that only 3% of people recycle their mobile phones despite the fact that most have old devices lying around at home that they no longer want. Cellular News reports.

"Three out of every four people added that they don't even think about recycling their devices and nearly half were unaware that it is even possible to do so.

The survey is based on interviews with 6,500 people in 13 countries including Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil."

"If all of the three billion people that own mobile phones globally brought back just one unused device, we could save 240,000 tonnes of raw materials and reduce greenhouse gases to the same effect as taking four million cars off the road." -- Markus Terho, Nokia's director of environmental affairs.

Nokia has posted a pair of short videos to help encourage cell phone recycling on Nokia conversations.

Urban miners look for precious metals in cell phones

Thinking of throwing out your old cell phone? Think again. Maybe you should mine it first for gold, silver, copper and a host of other metals embedded in the electronics -- many of which are enjoying near-record prices. Reuters reports.

"It's called "urban mining," scavenging through the scrap metal in old electronic products in search of such gems as iridium and gold, and it is a growth industry around the world as metal prices skyrocket.

The materials recovered are reused in new electronics parts and the gold and other precious metals are melted down and sold as ingots to jewelers and investors as well as back to manufacturers who use gold in the circuit boards of mobile phones because gold conducts electricity even better than copper."

Recycled Mobile Phones - Still a Few Years Away

Mobile phones made predominantly from recycled components are still several years away, a senior official at Nokia said last week. Markus Terho, a director at Nokia's environmental affairs unit, told a news conference that he expects so called "green phones" will become a "competitive factor," in the future though.

"It's a few years away," Terho said, noting though that recycled materials already accounted for 40-60 percent of the metal components within Nokia's mobile phones.

... Smaller packaging for mobile phones can help. In 2006. Nokia saved around US$160 million on transport and material costs by end of 2007 from that decision."

[via Cellular News]

Apple Offers Free Recycling of Any Brand - A Greener Apple

After recent criticism from environmental groups, Apple has decided to polish its green image by offering free recycling both on-line and in stores of CPUs, iPods and mobile phones. They are accepting any brand computer or cell phone, not just Macs and iPhones. And they even pay for the shipping.

There are no conditions about the iPod or phones recycling, but you have to purchase a qualifying Apple computer or monitor in order to receive a free recycling of your old computer and monitor — regardless of the manufacturer.

[via TrendHunter]

Nokia's Remade Concept

With Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo presenting a short video of the REMADE mobile phone during the Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, Raphael Grignani is able to share one of the case-studies addressing sustainability hos team has been working on passionately.

The intent was to create a device made from nothing new.

We drew on a simple insight that in the not too distant future humanity will have extracted and worked much of the valuable minerals once buried in planet Earth. We will be compelled to reuse and celebrate what is essentially “above ground”. Thus we explored the use of reclaimed and upcycled materials that could ultimately change the way we make things.

In remade, recycled materials from metal cans, plastic bottles, and car tyres are used beautifully; whilst helping reduce landfill and preserving natural resources. The concept also addresses cleaner engine technologies, and energy efficiency through power saving graphics.

Remade is a concept that explores potential new ideas for the future, and is part of Nokia's ongoing work looking at how it can help people make more sustainable choices. It is designed to help inspire and stimulate discussion on how mobile devices might be made in the future.

Watch the video on Nokia's YouTube channel.

The Secret Life of Cell Phones

What happens to a cell phone tossed? That's a question The Secret Life of Cell Phones answers.

This short educational film shows what happens when you throw a phone into a black bin -- as well as what happens when you take just a few minutes to make sure your phone gets refurbished or recycled.

The Secret Life of Cell Phone's just the first of a series of short Secret Life films from INFORM, a NY-based environmental organization. Each Secret Life video will look at what happens to everyday products we all use after we throw them "away." After all, "away" is never really that far away.

[via LA Times Blog]

U.S. consumers getting better at recycling cell phones

The good news for the environment is that U.S. consumers who bought new mobile handsets in the fourth quarter of 2007 recycled their old phones at double the rate that they did in the third quarter. [via Cellular News]

The bad news for the environment is that even after the rate nearly doubled, only 9.4 percent of those consumers took the recycling option in the fourth quarter, according to data from iSuppli's ConsumerTrak service.

"iSuppli's fourth-quarter survey indicated that while U.S. consumers increasingly are recycling their old handsets, there's still plenty of room for improvement," said Greg Sheppard, chief development officer for iSuppli.

The Afterlife of Cellphones

A growing international trade in discarded mobile phones is helping the world’s poor. But will it poison the earth? asks The New York Times.

"Cellphones are the most valuable form of e-waste. Each one contains about a dollar’s worth of precious metals, mostly gold. And while single phones house far less hazardous material than a computer — an old, clunky monitor can incorporate seven pounds of lead — their cumulative presence is staggering.

Last year, according to ABI Research, 1.2 billion phones were sold worldwide. Sixty percent of them probably replaced existing ones. In the United States, phones are cast aside after, on average, 12 months. And according to the industry trade group CTIA, four out of every five people in the country own cellphones."