{"id":2108,"date":"2015-02-02T14:16:40","date_gmt":"2015-02-02T08:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shekharkapur.com\/blog\/?p=2108"},"modified":"2015-02-02T14:16:40","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T08:46:40","slug":"and-where-do-all-the-discarded-phones-go-by-eshla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shekharkapur.com\/blog\/2015\/02\/and-where-do-all-the-discarded-phones-go-by-eshla\/","title":{"rendered":"And where do all the discarded phones go? By Eshla"},"content":{"rendered":"
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During the launch of iPhone 6, Apple fans lined up outside stories for 2 days, camping out with sleeping bags and energy bars, simply to get their hands on the newer, sleeker version.<\/p>\n

While Apple may have sold a record number of 20 million units, the real story is the millions of phones that will be disposed, neglected, or smashed as owners fall in love with the newer, better version.<\/p>\n

E-waste is not just a tree-hugger\u2019s problem.\u00a0 Massive e-waste dumpsites are cropping up around the world – Ghana, China, Vietnam, India.\u00a0 They\u2019re almost all in the developing world.\u00a0 That\u2019s because they emit toxic fumes, clogging the lungs of the workers stuck working these hazardous jobs.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t comply with our EPA standards in the US (even though we send tons of it away).\u00a0 That\u2019s why our \u201crecycled\u201d e-waste ends up in dumpsites overseas.\u00a0 Few recyclers truly recycle the materials in an environmental fashion.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because it\u2019s expensive to do so.\u00a0 It\u2019s cheaper to burn it, smash it, break it down, and sell it in informal markets.<\/p>\n

Every year cell phone manufacturers come out with glitzy new models of their device.\u00a0 They\u2019re designed to only last a couple years; battery life will begin to wear, and users will become frustrated with inferior performance.\u00a0 So, what do we do?\u00a0 Throw it out for a new one.\u00a0 That\u2019s the intent of these tech companies.<\/p>\n

Yet, we could repair those phones.\u00a0 Your iPhone 4s can be repaired.\u00a0 Your Samsung Galaxy 4 can be repaired.\u00a0 Their lives can be extended.\u00a0 But we choose not to.<\/p>\n

Bear in mind, though, that a chip in a smartphone contains 60 chemical elements (no, they\u2019re not eco-friendly parts, in case you\u2019re still wondering).\u00a0 China alone made 1.18 billion phones in 2012.\u00a0 The US tossed out over 250 million computer, monitors, TVs, and cell phones in 2010. \u00a0 Experts estimate that e-waste volumes will reach 65 tons by 2017.\u00a0 And by then, we\u2019ll have over 10 billion mobile phones connected.<\/p>\n

While it sounds abysmal, there a few solutions.\u00a0 Consumers could repair phones, hold onto them longer and extend their life.\u00a0 That\u2019s the easiest way, as a consumer, that we could show some love to the planet.<\/p>\n

Also, consider donating your phones to organizations such as Hope Phones, which uses old phones to provide maternal health in rural communities: health workers are equipped with these discarded phones to monitor and track patients in the field.\u00a0 Or support companies such as Rico, a start-up (with a kickstarter campaign online), which is repurposing used smartphones for home security programs that are clunky, expensive, and un-recyclable.<\/p>\n

Several factories have cropped up that are using the necessary equipment (and environmental precautions) to breakdown phones.\u00a0 One of these is ironically in India – a country whose environmental policies have been dismal but is home to Bangalore, one of the biggest IT hubs on the planet.\u00a0 Just outside of Bangalore, Rohan Gupta runs a state-of-the-art facility where\u2019s not just processing e-waste but refashioning the metals extracted from the waste into watches and \u201ceco-friendly\u201d jewelry.\u00a0 Inventive, indeed.<\/p>\n

As our love with technology grows, we need to remember that it\u2019s not the easiest thing to dispose of.\u00a0 Would you plant used smartphones into your flower beds or rose garden?\u00a0 Probably not.<\/p>\n

So, why dump them into a trash bin if they can be repurposed, reused, or passed down.<\/p>\n

The Earth is a living, breathing entity.\u00a0 But, it doesn\u2019t use cell phones.\u00a0 We do.\u00a0 We shouldn\u2019t dump our junk onto it.\u00a0 That would be like dumping your trash in your neighbors backyard – they didn\u2019t make it, why should they have to deal with it?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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During the launch of iPhone 6, Apple fans lined up outside stories for 2 days, camping out with sleeping bags and energy bars, simply to get their hands on the newer, sleeker version. While Apple may have sold a record number of 20 million units, the real story is the millions of phones that will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAnd where do all the discarded phones go? 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