More than 800 million people around the world currently use mobile
phones and that figure is growing daily as consumers get bombarded
by advertising campaigns exhorting them to upgrade to the latest,
most fashionable model. As a result mobile phones become outdated
and new models are introduced faster than the changes in the
In Australia only, it is estimated that there were 3.5 million new mobile phone
sold in the last 12 months. Now with the introduction of 3G technology and coloured
screens, more mobile phones are expected to be sold.
The Australian bureau of statistics figures show in the year 2000, 61%
of Australian households had mobile phones and this number has steadily risen
to 12.8 million mobile phone connections at the end of 2003. The average Australian
typically upgrades their phones every 18-24 months.
So if phones are getting upgraded so frequently, what happens
to old unwanted phones? Old mobile phones just do not fade away,
they are retired to drawers and shelves around the country. It
is estimated that Australians are hoarding 10 million phones.
All of us as consumers, perceive value in our old electronic
products. As there is usually no trade-in when you upgrade for
a new model, our natural hoarding instinct tells us to keep the
old phones, give them to relatives, or store them for emergency
use. However history also shows that these phones eventually find
their way into the rubbish bin and that's where the problem starts.
Perhaps you have thrown one out yourself.
We need an easy and effective means of disposing of our unwanted
The number of unused or retired phones will keep growing year
after year, posing an ever increasing problem for the environment.
Only this Christmas the stockpile will grow even larger as new
gifts make old phones obsolete. Most mobile phones have components
that require specialist treatment to minimize their impact on
the environment. The content of mobile phones varies from model
to model, and as the technology advances so we will see changes
in the composition.
Mobile phones and accessories contain concentrations of toxic heavy
metals or other metals including cadmium, lead, nickel, mercury,
manganese, lithium, zinc, arsenic, antimony, beryllium, and copper.
Metals such as these are considered as:
don't degrade in the environment)
(ie build up in fatty tissue so can reach toxic levels over time)
If any of these metals are allowed to leak into the environment,
e.g. in a landfill when NiCd battery cases rupture or corrode,
in significant quantities, they may leach into the water
courses or contaminate the soil. Metals build up in the
soil and they can then enter the food chain and in sufficient
concentrations may cause health problems.
Chemicals such as these are associated with a range of adverse
human health effects, including damage to the nervous system,
reproductive and developmental problems, cancer and genetic
Cadmium for example is considered as the 7th most dangerous substance
known to man. It is a toxic heavy metal that can harm humans and
animals that ingest it. It is also carcinogenic.
The health effects of lead poisoning are well
known. If lead is absorbed into the bloodstream in sufficient
quantities it will cause serious liver and kidney damage
in adults and neurological damage in children.
Nickel and mercury are toxic and are classed as hazardous substance.
Although Li-Ion batteries are free of heavy metals (lithium has
a low atomic number), lithium's high degree of chemical activity
can create environmental problems. When exposed to water, which
is present in most landfills, the metal can burn, causing underground
fires that are difficult to extinguish.
Landfill is not sustainable. Dumping mobile phones creates long
term pollution risk to the environment.We
at the Aussie Recycling Program and many environmental organisations
world wide believe that recycling mobile phones is the only sensible
and conscientious alternative. We encourage everyone to take the
social responsibility in making recycling a benefit for everyone
by protecting the environment in which we live and work.
For more information on the environmental aspects of mobile phones
here (Leena Oiva, Case Study on the Environmental Impacts
of a Mobile Phone, Electronics Goes Green 2000+, Berlin, Sept