FAQ
How many phones are in use in the US? How many are replaced? Collected?
Is using a cell phone longer better for the environment?
What are the benefits of recycling cell phones?
What is involved in recycling a cell phone?
What about the batteries, chargers and accessories?
What happens with personal data on cell phones?
Will collected cell phones be dumped in a developing country?
Are refurbished phones eventually recycled?
Are there any laws in the U.S. that address cell phone recycling?
Is it illegal to throw out a cell phone?
How can we recover more cell phones in the U.S.?
What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
How many phones are in use in the US? How many are replaced? Collected?
As we state in our video, at the end of 2006 there were over 233 million cell phones in use. If we assume that a person keeps a phone for an average of 18 months, this would mean replacing over 150 million phones per year. The wireless industry does not compile data on the number of phones collected, but there is one estimate that over 10 million cell phones are collected every year through recycling programs. The wireless industry does keep a daily count of wireless subscribers – as of January 2008 it is well over 250 million!
Is using a cell phone longer better for the environment?
Absolutely.The average life of a cell phone in the U.S. is 18 months. We can greatly reduce cell phones' environmental impacts if we use our phones longer, and if we recycle them so they'll have a chance to be used by someone else. One study suggests that extending the service life of the phone from one to four years decreases the environmental impacts by about 40%.[1]
What are the benefits of recycling cell phones?
In general, refurbishing for reuse extends the life of the phone and this is better for the environment. Mainly, recycling conserves natural resources and reduces the huge environmental impacts from resource extraction. Recycling cell phones prevents toxic substances from getting into the soil, water and air when they’re sent to landfills or incinerators. And recycling reduces the amount of waste that towns and cities have to handle. All of these things help people and the environment.
What is involved in recycling a cell phone?
Once they arrive at a collection facility, the phones are powered up to see if everything works. Some cosmetic work is done, personal data is removed and new software is often loaded on to prepare the phone for reuse. More than half of the phones received by recyclers can be refurbished and reused with minor repairs. Refurbished phones may be resold in the U.S. to smaller carriers or distributed as replacements for phones that break while under warranty. Refurbished phones may also be sold internationally. The phones that can't be reused are sent to smelters who reclaim the valuable materials they contain.
What about the batteries, chargers and accessories?
Batteries are separated from the handsets and sent to recyclers that recover the materials. Recyclers should also recover materials from batteries, chargers and accessories.
What happens with personal data on cell phones?
Recyclers will make sure the personal information on your phone is erased before it is resold. To be safe, you should erase everything personal before sending in your phone.
Will collected cell phones be dumped in a developing country?
A U.S.-based nonprofit, Basel Action Network (BAN), has documented the dumping of non-working computers, TVs and other electronic equipment in China and Nigeria, often under the guise of reuse. BAN also recognizes what we must do here in the U.S. to prevent these countries from becoming dumping grounds for our broken-down electronics. Find out more here.
Are refurbished phones eventually recycled?
Refurbished phones either stay in the U.S. or are shipped abroad. Some recycling programs are being developed in developing countries, but much more needs to be done to help these countries create the infrastructure to safely manage these phones and other electronics at the end of their useful lives. Recycling programs are absolutely essential in all countries that receive these phones for reuse.
Are there any laws in the U.S. that address cell phone recycling?
There is no federal law, but laws are being implemented on the state and local levels. As of January 2008, only three states and one county have cell phone recycling laws: California, Maine, New York, and Westchester County, New York. For more information see INFORM's fact sheet.
Is it illegal to throw out a cell phone?
Putting a cell phone in the trash is banned in California and Maine and in Westchester County, New York. To our knowledge, it is not banned in any other localities. INFORM has a fact sheet on cell phone recycling laws in the U.S. and Europe.
How can we recover more cell phones in the U.S.?
Each of us can help keep cell phones out of the trash. We can take our cell phones back to a store that accepts them, sell our old cell phones online or donate them. We can set up special collection events in our communities. We can ask state or local legislators to pass laws requiring that cell phones and other electronic equipment be recycled.
What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy that requires manufacturers to accept responsibility for managing products that have reached the end of their useful life. The EPR approach acts as an incentive for producers to design less wasteful, more recyclable products that contain fewer toxic constituents. The EPR approach also leads manufacturers to consider their products' full life cycle impacts and to incorporate costs for end-of-life product management into their products' price. For more information, see INFORM's report.
[1] Mireille Faist Emmenegger, et al, “Life Cycle Assessment of the Mobile Communication System UMTS: Towards
Eco-Efficient Systems,” International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 11, 4, (2006): 265–276.
How many phones are in use in the US? How many are replaced? Collected?
Is using a cell phone longer better for the environment?
What are the benefits of recycling cell phones?
What is involved in recycling a cell phone?
What about the batteries, chargers and accessories?
What happens with personal data on cell phones?
Will collected cell phones be dumped in a developing country?
Are refurbished phones eventually recycled?
Are there any laws in the U.S. that address cell phone recycling?
Is it illegal to throw out a cell phone?
How can we recover more cell phones in the U.S.?
What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
How many phones are in use in the US? How many are replaced? Collected?
As we state in our video, at the end of 2006 there were over 233 million cell phones in use. If we assume that a person keeps a phone for an average of 18 months, this would mean replacing over 150 million phones per year. The wireless industry does not compile data on the number of phones collected, but there is one estimate that over 10 million cell phones are collected every year through recycling programs. The wireless industry does keep a daily count of wireless subscribers – as of January 2008 it is well over 250 million!
Is using a cell phone longer better for the environment?
Absolutely.The average life of a cell phone in the U.S. is 18 months. We can greatly reduce cell phones' environmental impacts if we use our phones longer, and if we recycle them so they'll have a chance to be used by someone else. One study suggests that extending the service life of the phone from one to four years decreases the environmental impacts by about 40%.[1]
What are the benefits of recycling cell phones?
In general, refurbishing for reuse extends the life of the phone and this is better for the environment. Mainly, recycling conserves natural resources and reduces the huge environmental impacts from resource extraction. Recycling cell phones prevents toxic substances from getting into the soil, water and air when they’re sent to landfills or incinerators. And recycling reduces the amount of waste that towns and cities have to handle. All of these things help people and the environment.
What is involved in recycling a cell phone?
Once they arrive at a collection facility, the phones are powered up to see if everything works. Some cosmetic work is done, personal data is removed and new software is often loaded on to prepare the phone for reuse. More than half of the phones received by recyclers can be refurbished and reused with minor repairs. Refurbished phones may be resold in the U.S. to smaller carriers or distributed as replacements for phones that break while under warranty. Refurbished phones may also be sold internationally. The phones that can't be reused are sent to smelters who reclaim the valuable materials they contain.
What about the batteries, chargers and accessories?
Batteries are separated from the handsets and sent to recyclers that recover the materials. Recyclers should also recover materials from batteries, chargers and accessories.
What happens with personal data on cell phones?
Recyclers will make sure the personal information on your phone is erased before it is resold. To be safe, you should erase everything personal before sending in your phone.
Will collected cell phones be dumped in a developing country?
A U.S.-based nonprofit, Basel Action Network (BAN), has documented the dumping of non-working computers, TVs and other electronic equipment in China and Nigeria, often under the guise of reuse. BAN also recognizes what we must do here in the U.S. to prevent these countries from becoming dumping grounds for our broken-down electronics. Find out more here.
Are refurbished phones eventually recycled?
Refurbished phones either stay in the U.S. or are shipped abroad. Some recycling programs are being developed in developing countries, but much more needs to be done to help these countries create the infrastructure to safely manage these phones and other electronics at the end of their useful lives. Recycling programs are absolutely essential in all countries that receive these phones for reuse.
Are there any laws in the U.S. that address cell phone recycling?
There is no federal law, but laws are being implemented on the state and local levels. As of January 2008, only three states and one county have cell phone recycling laws: California, Maine, New York, and Westchester County, New York. For more information see INFORM's fact sheet.
Is it illegal to throw out a cell phone?
Putting a cell phone in the trash is banned in California and Maine and in Westchester County, New York. To our knowledge, it is not banned in any other localities. INFORM has a fact sheet on cell phone recycling laws in the U.S. and Europe.
How can we recover more cell phones in the U.S.?
Each of us can help keep cell phones out of the trash. We can take our cell phones back to a store that accepts them, sell our old cell phones online or donate them. We can set up special collection events in our communities. We can ask state or local legislators to pass laws requiring that cell phones and other electronic equipment be recycled.
What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy that requires manufacturers to accept responsibility for managing products that have reached the end of their useful life. The EPR approach acts as an incentive for producers to design less wasteful, more recyclable products that contain fewer toxic constituents. The EPR approach also leads manufacturers to consider their products' full life cycle impacts and to incorporate costs for end-of-life product management into their products' price. For more information, see INFORM's report.
[1] Mireille Faist Emmenegger, et al, “Life Cycle Assessment of the Mobile Communication System UMTS: Towards
Eco-Efficient Systems,” International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 11, 4, (2006): 265–276.