5.3 billion cell phones to become waste this year: report
MORE than five billion of the estimated 16 billion mobile phones possessed worldwide will likely be discarded or stashed away this year, experts said on Thursday (Oct 13), calling for more recycling of the often hazardous materials they contain.
Stacked flat on top of each other, that many disused phones would rise 50,000 km, more than 100 times higher than the International Space Station, the WEEE research consortium found.
Despite containing valuable gold, copper, silver, palladium and other recyclable components, almost all these unwanted devices will be hoarded, dumped or incinerated, causing significant health and environmental harm.
“Smartphones are one of the electronic products of highest concern for us,” said Pascal Leroy, director-general of the WEEE Forum, a not-for-profit association representing 46 producer responsibility organisations.
“If we don’t recycle the rare materials they contain, we’ll have to mine them in countries like China or Congo,” he said.
Defunct cell phones are just the tip of the 44.48-million-ton iceberg of global electronic waste generated annually that isn’t recycled, said the 2020 global e-waste monitor.
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Many of the five billion phones withdrawn from circulation will be hoarded rather than dumped in the trash, a survey in six European countries from June to September 2022 has found. This happens when households and businesses forget cell phones in drawers, closets, cupboards or garages rather than bring them in for repair or recycling.
Up to 5 kg of e-devices per person are currently hoarded in the average European family, the report found.
According to the new findings, 46 per cent of the 8,775 households surveyed considered potential future use as the main reason for hoarding small electrical and electronic equipment.
Another 15 per cent stockpile their gadgets with the intention of selling them or giving them away; 13 percent keep them for “sentimental value”.
Leroy said: “People tend not to realise that all these seemingly insignificant items have a lot of value, and together on a global level represent massive volumes. But e-waste will never be collected voluntarily because of the high cost. That is why legislation is essential.”
This month, the EU parliament passed a new law requiring USB-C to be the single charger standard for all new smartphones, tablets and cameras from late 2024.
The move is expected to generate annual savings of at least €200 million (S$280.2 million) and cut more than 1,000 tonnes of EU electronic waste every year.
Thousands of tons of e-waste are shipped from wealthy nations – including members of the European Union – to developing countries every year, adding to their recycling burden.
At the receiving end, financial means are often lacking for e-waste to be treated safely: hazardous substances such as mercury and plastic can contaminate soil, pollute water and enter the food chain, as has happened near a Ghanaian e-waste dumpsite. AFP
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