Environmental impact of mobile contracts criticised
Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - 11:41:05
A new study published this month in the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment has found that the UK’s addiction to pay monthly mobile contracts is having a harmful impact on the environment.
As with previous studies of this kind, the report points out that mobile handsets contain precious minerals, with as much as £110 million in gold alone, left unattended in discarded devices across the country.
The problems all stem from the fact that most people who are on a mobile contract will receive a free device at the start and then have the option to upgrade to a new model 12 to 24 months later. This means there is a cycle of purchasing and disposal that leaves many phones obsolete in a very short space of time.
Unless these unwanted handsets are recycled, they can be disastrous for the environment, according to study spokesperson, Dr James Suckling.
Suckling told TechWeek Europe that roughly 85 million old mobile phones are thought to be found in homes nationwide, with each one containing a variety of valuable minerals which are difficult to extract from natural sources.
This makes old phones a prime target for recycling, since even if they are no longer functional, the precious materials they contain can still be reclaimed.
Academics argue that the only way to improve the state of the UK’s mobile phone usage cycle is to make network providers build a new clause into contracts, which requires customers to return old phones if they want to upgrade.
This would definitely help to increase recycling rates, although perhaps there would also need to be additional incentives to get more people onboard, such as offering payment for unwanted devices as part of the exchange process, or money off an upgrade when a phone is returned.
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