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“I have five old cell phones at home that I don’t know what to do with，” groans Mr. Zhu from Beijing. “I thought about selling them， but the price small shops offered was too low.”Dealing with outdated phones has become a perplexing headache for many.
Statistics from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology （CAICT） show that 1，446 different models of mobile phones were released in China in 2016， and the domestic shipments totaled 560 million in the same period， accounting for a third of global shipment volume. According to industry insiders， because the sale of every new cell phone means that an old one will be discarded， about four to five hundred million unused phones will pile up in China annually over the next few years. In fact， over a billion cell phones have already been discarded. Figuring out how to deal with so many old mobile phones has become an increasingly pressing dilemma.
Where Do Old Phones Go？
With the fast development of mobile phone technology， the average lifespan of a cell phone has dropped. According to a 2014 survey， about half of China’s mobile phone users changed to a new one every 18 months.
However， compared to the rocketing sales of new phones， the volume of old phones that get recycled remains much lower. Only two percent of old phones are recycled. Most end up in landfills.
Discarded cell phones have actually become a severe waste of resources. According to environmental analysts， about 150 grams of gold can be extracted from every ton of old mobile phones. If 200 million cell phones are discarded every year at a weight of about 20，000 tons， recycling of all those phones would produce three tons of gold and 60 tons of silver.
Components of old cell phones including circuit boards， batteries， speakers， cameras and microphones all contain precious metals. And cameras can be disassembled from old phones and reused in other devices. Moreover， plastic casings， screens， earphones and chargers can all be recycled.
Meanwhile， the precious metals contained in discarded cell phones can harm the environment. If those phones are burned， poisonous gas containing carcinogenic matter will likely be emitted.
Hidden “Golden Mine”
In spite of the great quantity， high value， and high risks of inappropriate disposal， no great shift to recycling has ever happened. Many worry that their personal information will be at risk if their cell phones get recycled because the devices carry a large amount of information.
Statistics from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology （CAICT） show that 1，446 different models of mobile phones were released in China in 2016， and the domestic shipments totaled 560 million in the same period， accounting for a third of global shipment volume. According to industry insiders， because the sale of every new cell phone means that an old one will be discarded， about four to five hundred million unused phones will pile up in China annually over the next few years. In fact， over a billion cell phones have already been discarded. Figuring out how to deal with so many old mobile phones has become an increasingly pressing dilemma.
Where Do Old Phones Go？
With the fast development of mobile phone technology， the average lifespan of a cell phone has dropped. According to a 2014 survey， about half of China’s mobile phone users changed to a new one every 18 months.
However， compared to the rocketing sales of new phones， the volume of old phones that get recycled remains much lower. Only two percent of old phones are recycled. Most end up in landfills.
Discarded cell phones have actually become a severe waste of resources. According to environmental analysts， about 150 grams of gold can be extracted from every ton of old mobile phones. If 200 million cell phones are discarded every year at a weight of about 20，000 tons， recycling of all those phones would produce three tons of gold and 60 tons of silver.
Components of old cell phones including circuit boards， batteries， speakers， cameras and microphones all contain precious metals. And cameras can be disassembled from old phones and reused in other devices. Moreover， plastic casings， screens， earphones and chargers can all be recycled.
Meanwhile， the precious metals contained in discarded cell phones can harm the environment. If those phones are burned， poisonous gas containing carcinogenic matter will likely be emitted.
Hidden “Golden Mine”
In spite of the great quantity， high value， and high risks of inappropriate disposal， no great shift to recycling has ever happened. Many worry that their personal information will be at risk if their cell phones get recycled because the devices carry a large amount of information.