Almost everyone has a cell phone these days.  They’re ubiquitous, and they’ve come a long way since the early days.  You may remember when cell phones were large, clunky, and rare.  However, the average US phone lasts only eighteen months.  These phones aren’t necessarily broken.  They’re thrown out by people who want to upgrade and get the best new features available.  That results in a lot of toxic trash.

In some states, it’s illegal to throw out a cell phone.  In others, these phones can be tossed without legal repercussions.  However, that doesn’t mean throwing away a cell phone is a good idea.  The batteries and electronic components in these phones are likely to leach toxins into landfills and even into ground water.

Phones can contain heavy metals and other elements like arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and selenium.  They can also contain PVC, which is among the least stable of the plastics, and brominated compounds that can cause other problems.  Many of these compounds are bioaccumulative, building up in the bodies of animals and people, and persistent in the environment too.

So, what can you do instead of throwing out an old phone?  The first thing is to keep your phone a lot longer, and replace only when you need to.  However, if you do need to get rid of an old phone, recycling it is a good bet.  Phones which are recycled can be repurposed if they work.  Many are given to charities.

If they have an easily fixed problem, they’ll be refurbished and sold again at a lower price - often to people in poorer countries.  Phones which are completely broken will be broken down for their useful materials, with the unusable ones disposed of properly.

You can find a cell phone recycling option just by searching online.  Type your location and either “cell phone recycling” or “mobile phone recycling” into the search bar and see what comes up.  You can even get prepaid envelopes you can put your phone in to send it to companies that aren’t nearby, and some refurbishing companies will even pay a little for your old phone.

Cell phone drives make good fundraising exercises for schools, charities, and clubs, as well.  That’s because cell phones have a remarkable amount of gold in them - 230 grams per ton.  Versus other substances we extract gold from, including mine waste, that’s a lot more.  A ton of phones has about six thousand dollars worth of gold in it, which can be removed using the right commercial processes.

Recycling a cell phone is a smart choice that keeps the environment healthier and allows people who couldn’t otherwise afford a phone to have one.  If you’re thinking about upgrading, or you need to buy a new phone because yours is broken, don’t toss it in the trash.  Recycle your cell phone - you’ll feel better about it.

Photo by: Carlos Nobre -
Fotolia.com