Cell phone recycling is not a new concept, yet it still isn’t a normal practice.  This is an article about the rise of phones and their life cycle.  It puts a lot of light and awareness to how much mobile phones are having an effect on e-waste and the environment.  Mobile phone companies are constantly developing new and upgraded cell phones, and consumers are eating it up.  When they see a newly updated version, they want the latest and greatest.  Often times, people wait in line the night before a store opens.  Then they can be one of the first to have the newest phone.  So manufacturers are doing well. They know their customers will buy new, even if their “old” phone is still working. But are they recycling their old cell phone?

Even if the old phone hasn’t met the end of its life cycle, and is still usable.  Its life cycle is over if it is not in use and not being used again.  Many of the consumers hold onto their phone, as a back-up.  So they have their old phone just in case they’re phone gets lost, stolen or needs a repair.  Others may sell or give their phone to friends, family, or using second-hand apps or websites to sell.  Hopefully, other phones don’t get thrown in the trash to end up at a landfill.  And hopefully they are being properly recycled through the proper procedures.

The corporate world has to abide by guidelines, set procedures, and laws when they have unwanted or old electronic equipment.  However, individual consumers aren’t held accountable to the same standards or requirements.  In addition, as they get new phones year by year, they continue to hold onto to older and older phones, so there are more and more unused phones out there.

Each year, a billion new phones get manufactured and sold.  That’s over a billion new phones out in the world each year!  This does not include all the other electronics that are manufactured and sold.  Devices like personal electronics, computers, tablets, media players, household and kitchen appliances, outdoor electronics, and more and more.  Somehow we need to make the consumers aware and responsible for these old phone and electronics. OR the manufacturers and/or retailers need to be the ones responsible.  They need to make sure the consumers know what to do when their electronic life cycle comes to an end.  Cell phone recycling needs to become a normal practice.