Many of us are guilty of throwing our old mobile phones straight into the bin when we no longer need them. However, as the following facts and figures prove, recycling phones and any other electronic device is the best option for both ourselves and the environment.
There is around £6.9 billion worth of unused phones in the UK at the moment, which equals approximately 90 million mobiles. Shockingly, 50% of Britons are not aware of how easy mobile phone recycling is. Another possibly shocking figure is that 14% of the population keeps no less than four unused mobiles at home, while the average for the majority is two.
If we take a wider look at the whole of Europe, we'll see that the number of unused mobiles on the continent totals an estimated 160 million. To put this in some perspective: if all the gold and lead from these 160 million phones are collected, they will be worth £315 million. Globally, it has been calculated that if all the gold from unused mobiles is collected, it will reach an amount of 16 metric tonnes.
Worryingly, pollution from mobile phone batteries affects water equaling the size of 80 billion Olympic swimming pools. Perhaps the worst thing is that mobiles in landfills leak toxic chemicals which, through the soil and the water, come back to poison us. Mobiles contain lead, cadmium, mercury, bromine, and brominated flame retardants, all of them damaging for the human body. Mercury, to begin with, can cause blindness and high blood pressure. Cadmium affects the kidneys and causes permanent damage to their function. It is also a proven carcinogen, and scientists suspect that lead and bromine can also cause cancer in various organs.
So, take your old mobile to a recycling place or donate it to charity, don't let it lie around or throw it away with the garbage.
There is around £6.9 billion worth of unused phones in the UK at the moment, which equals approximately 90 million mobiles. Shockingly, 50% of Britons are not aware of how easy mobile phone recycling is. Another possibly shocking figure is that 14% of the population keeps no less than four unused mobiles at home, while the average for the majority is two.
If we take a wider look at the whole of Europe, we'll see that the number of unused mobiles on the continent totals an estimated 160 million. To put this in some perspective: if all the gold and lead from these 160 million phones are collected, they will be worth £315 million. Globally, it has been calculated that if all the gold from unused mobiles is collected, it will reach an amount of 16 metric tonnes.
Worryingly, pollution from mobile phone batteries affects water equaling the size of 80 billion Olympic swimming pools. Perhaps the worst thing is that mobiles in landfills leak toxic chemicals which, through the soil and the water, come back to poison us. Mobiles contain lead, cadmium, mercury, bromine, and brominated flame retardants, all of them damaging for the human body. Mercury, to begin with, can cause blindness and high blood pressure. Cadmium affects the kidneys and causes permanent damage to their function. It is also a proven carcinogen, and scientists suspect that lead and bromine can also cause cancer in various organs.
So, take your old mobile to a recycling place or donate it to charity, don't let it lie around or throw it away with the garbage.
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