5.3 Billion Phones Of Over 16 Billion Under Possession To Turn To Waste in 2022
Over five billion of the estimated 16 billion phones possessed globally will likely be discarded in 2022, say experts, while calling for better recycling processes for the hazardous materials they contain according to an AFP report.
When stacked atop each other, the number of unused phones could rise 50,000 kilometres, nearly a hundred times higher than the level the International Space Station is floating at, according to the WEEE research consortium.
The phones contain precious materials like gold, copper, silver, and palladium as well as other recyclable materials, yet most of these are either hoarded, dumped or incinerated, resulting in considerable health and environmental harm.
And defunct phones are just the tip of the 44.48 million ton iceberg of global e-waste that’s generated annually and isn’t recycled, as per 2020 global e-waste monitor.
Most of the five billion phones that get withdrawn from circulation get mostly hoarded instead of dumped in the trash, based on a survey in six European countries from June to September 2022.
This often occurs when families and businesses forget their phones in drawers, closets, cupboards or garages instead of bringing them in for repair or recycling. Every European family is hoarding at least five kilos of e-devices per person.
Based on new findings, 46 percent of the 8,775 households surveyed considered potential use as one of the many reasons for hoarding electronics. 15 percent hoard with an intention to sell or give them away, whereas 13 percent keep them due to ‘sentimental value’.
Pascal Leroy, Director General of the WEEE Forum, a not-for-profit association representing forty-six producer responsibility organizations said in a statement to AFP, “Smartphones are one of the electronic products of highest concern for us. If we don’t recycle the rare materials they contain, we’ll have to mine them in countries like China or Congo.”
He added, “People tend not to realise that all these seemingly insignificant items have a lot of value, and together at 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.”
