tidal wave

Cell Phone Recycling Helps Protect Our Environment Do you hide your outdated cellular phones in a drawer somewhere or do you just throw these to the trash bin? For a long time, I was one of those who never thought that cellular phones can be even be recycled. Many people these days have one or a couple of cell phones hidden in a bag somewhere. After a while, when we rediscover these cell phones, these will probably end up in the trash bin, and eventually, in our town's dump site. But, like other problems resulting from our profligate lifestyle, there's always a better solution. Cell phone recycling is the better, more environmentally-caring, even more profitable option. A Billion Cell Phones Gathering Dust Here are the facts about the dismal situation of cell phone recycling in the US today. Every year, 37 million more old cell phones are hidden in our drawers, and 10 million more units get dumped in our landfills. Out of the 125 million used phones replaced every year, only 9.4% are recycled. There are now close to a billion total obsolete cell phones in America, today. Like most electronic waste, cellular phones contain metals and chemicals that are extremely lethal to humans. Toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium are found in the circuit boards and batteries of cell phones. Carcinogenic chemicals like brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are also found in the casing of many cell phones. Lead, one of the most dangerous metals known, has been identified as a leading cause of brain development problems in children and impaired brain health in adults. Cadmium compounds are carcinogenic and exposure to this element can trigger liver, kidney (irreversible, and often fatal), respiratory and bone density complications. Our waste disposal sites are supposed to keep chemicals leaking from solid waste, but nobody can completely make the assurance that the e-waste, like mobile phones, we deposit so carelessly, will not leach chemicals into our underground water systems. The odds of this happening is rather high, we're basically poisoning our wells every time we dump e-waste into our landfills. Is there money in Cell Phone Recycling? Sending your used phone to a recycler can be quite financially-rewarding. Trading and refurbishing enterprises will pay as much as $50 cash (depending on the model) for every unit you turn in. Postage is usually free for envelopes containing at least 5 units. The company will then sell these refurbished cell phones to wholesale buyers here and abroad, helping improve mobile communications in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. Umicore, a Belgium-based giant recycling business, extracts precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, copper, and coltan, as well as manufacturing recyclables like glass and plastic from tons of old cell phones. They call this extracting of valuable metals “surface mining.” There's actually more gold to be found in a ton of old phones than from 17 tons of gold rocks! Only half of 1% of the electronic waste that go through the meltdown process can not be returned to the production cycle and is then burned for energy generation. It's unwise to try and extract valuable metals from your phones on your own, because of the hazardous corrosive chemicals involved plus the fact that there's very little amount of these metals found in each cell phone. It takes recycling tons upon tons of old cell phones for the major recycling companies to make a profit out of it. Ways to Recycle Cell Phones Recycle your cell phones through to your favorite charity. I'm sure that, in the past, you've given assistance to a charitable organization like Feed The Children or a health-advocacy and support organization like the Smile Train. Well, did you know that you can also assist them by giving them your old cell phones? It's obviously a great opportunity to help your favorite non-profit earn money for their numerous activities, by giving something that's otherwise, useless. In the hands of these organizations, your used phones could be instrumental to make a difference in other people's situations. Give your old or used phones to someone you know. How often do Americans change their cell phones? A study by EPA shows that a large number of US users replace their cell phones every 18 months, on average. Quite clearly, after 1 and ½ years of use, these old phones are still quite usable. Why not lengthen the life cycle of these phones by gifting these to a relative or a friend. Just make sure to ask your friend or relative to recycle the phones responsibly, when the time comes for them to discard it, later. Recycle cell phones through recycling and refurbishing companies. Another way that's fast and convenient is to sell your outdated cell phone online. Mobile phone trading and refurbishing sites, like Pacebutler Corporation in Edmond, Oklahoma will pay as high as $50 for each cell phone you send them. Just visit their site, find out how much they're buying your phone, request for a pre-paid shipping label, and mail your phones. How fast is this process? Usually, you'll have your money within 4-5 business days after they get your phones. Recycle cell phones through the manufacturer or service provider. Ship your used phones back to the manufacturer or service network. Service providers like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint all have take-back or trade-in programs, make sure to inquire about it when you make the purchase. Mailing back your cell to the phone maker will ensure that these units are recycled or refitted properly. Supply of production materials is a constant focus for these companies, and that's why they're interested that customers mail back these phones, as this will provide a steady stream of recyclables for their production process. To quote the US Environmental Agency (EPA), it's an “easy call” to recycle our used phones. If every one contributes, we all can make this possible. It's not just about preserving the environment, [cellular phone recycling also protects our health. Let's all recycle our cell phones, today.
Previous     Next
See also
repubblica apartments rome
expedia voyages sncf
youtube to mp4
car rental nyc jfk
youtube musique gratuite année 80
girly myspace comments
food wars saison 2 date de sortie
computershare exxonmobil forms
life insurance cost index
milford pa real estate
credit report agencies phone numbers
wamu chase mortgage
farmers insurance pay online
sprint racing croix en ternois
my pay pal account
match game
free ringtones nokia lumia610
fidelity login
watch cnn news live
auto insurance companies maryland
money drop jeu
wedding flowers
refinancing home mortgage with no closing costs
gmail.com app for iphone
google earth windows 10 compatibility
aaa maps and driving directions
googlemaps.com birds eye view
chasse vision safari
blockbuster movies
paypal uk