The Importance of Recycling Smartphones
If you had to make a list of some of the most commonly used electronic devices in existence, smartphones would be right at the top. Every year, new models are introduced on the market, and every year millions of people upgrade from older models. You may even be one of those people.
If you are one of those people, what do you do with your old phone once you upgrade? Most likely you throw it away, and you wouldn’t be alone in doing so.
Why E-Waste Is a Problem
According to the EPA, more than 416,000 phones are disposed of every single day. When you consider the fact that billions of people around the world own smartphones, it’s actually surprising that this number isn’t higher.
But when phones are thrown away, they invariably end up in landfills. Unfortunately, those landfills are already overflowing with waste as it is. Not only that, but the materials found in phones, including lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium are hazardous. These materials can pollute soil and water near the landfill and eventually affect communities that are miles away. E-waste not only contributes to environmental issues, but also health problems.
The next time you upgrade your phone, don’t forget about the value of your old smartphone. Recycling old smartphones offers a wide range of benefits. Read on to learn more.
Recycling Reduces the Impact of E-Waste
When you take the appropriate steps to recycle smartphones, you’re doing your part to help protect and improve our fragile environment. These days, a significant part of our lives are digital, meaning that we have more electronic devices around us than ever before. Because of that, electronic waste or “e-waste” has become a major issue.
As previously mentioned, e-waste negatively impacts the environment by clogging landfills with materials that don’t naturally break down. E-waste can also cause health issues for communities thanks to issues like polluted water sources. Therefore, it stands to reason that avoiding these issues should be a major priority.
Thankfully, recycling is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help mitigate this negative impact as much as possible. Not only that, but recycling smartphones also helps to conserve natural resources and save energy as well.
Materials in Smartphones Are Reusable
Many people don’t realize that the materials used to make modern day smartphones are actually reusable.
In addition to certain types of minerals that are used in the construction of a smartphone, there are a lot of individual components that are still perfectly good even after the device itself has outlived its usefulness to you. All of that can be properly recycled and then reused to manufacture new products. And, creating new devices from recycled mobile phone components actually reduces the amount of energy required for the manufacturing process in general.
Recycling Ensures Data Protection
Finally, one of the biggest benefits of smartphone recycling is data protection.
Think for a moment about the sheer volume of personal data that is on the average smartphone. Usernames, passwords, photos, text messages, credit card and bank account information— the list goes on and on. Now think about what would happen if you were to throw your phone away without first erasing that information. If your phone were to fall into the wrong hands, a total stranger could access all of that sensitive information.
Most recycling centers, like High Tech Recycling, offer data destruction as a service. This ensures that any sensitive data is destroyed before components are then recycled and reused.
Where to Find Smartphone Recycling Services in Michigan
High Tech Recycling proudly offers smartphone recycling and data destruction services in Detroit, MI. Since our founding, our goal has been to reduce the number of electronic devices that wind up in landfills. Our process is easy—you either take your old devices to our location, or you can schedule at a time where we come to you.
To schedule a pickup time, please click here. If you have questions about our services or about smartphone recycling in general, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
