| Electronic gadgets are filled with lots of tiny parts | | | | iron, cadmium and lead |
| and metals. Throwing away these in a landfill means | | | | - Phone chargers, containing copper wiring |
| that the toxic materials in the broken electronics can | | | | - Shipping materials containing paper and cardboard |
| make their way into area waterways and soil. | | | | Now, recovered materials are being applied to |
| Recycling services in developing countries that pay | | | | non-mobile phone products such as auto parts and |
| workers to break down electronics can expose | | | | electronic components. Approximately all of the |
| workers to toxic materials, often without any safety | | | | materials used to manufacture a cell phone can be |
| procedures in place. Used cell phones will be | | | | recovered to make new products. Like, metals, |
| reused-the ultimate form of recycling. | | | | plastics, batteries and the packaging materials can be |
| Numerous electronic gizmos have a very short | | | | recycled and turned into new products. |
| lifespan (cell phones for example last an average of | | | | All cell phones contain a number of different metals - |
| two years or less) - either because they are not built | | | | gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, copper, tin, |
| to last and because of the need to constantly | | | | lead, brass and zinc - that can be extracted and |
| upgrades to keep up with technology and your | | | | recovered in the recycling process. Some recovered |
| neighbor. This will rapidly become a runaway problem | | | | metals can be used by a number of different |
| if we don't make better use of the materials we | | | | industries such as jewelry, plating, electronics, |
| have, as well as, develop better recycling procedures. | | | | plumbing, automotive, and art foundries. Other |
| Approximately 10 percent are recycled from used | | | | products that can be manufactured from the |
| phones. | | | | recovered materials include automotive catalytic |
| Recycling campaigns or programs for used cell | | | | converters, plumbing faucets and piping, gold or silver |
| phones benefit to refurbish, reuse and responsibly | | | | jewelry. |
| recycle discarded cell phones more than one million | | | | New products can be made from recycled plastic |
| pounds of materials from landfills every year, | | | | collected from used cell phones. Such as garden |
| reclaiming materials such as: | | | | furniture, license plate frames, non-food containers |
| - Plastics from phone cases and accessories | | | | and replacement automotive parts. The plastic could |
| - Circuit boards containing precious metals such as | | | | alternatively be used as a fuel, due to its high thermal |
| gold, silver, platinum and palladium | | | | value and used cell phones batteries are recycled into |
| - Batteries, containing heavy metals such as nickel, | | | | other rechargeable battery products. |