Mobile recycling proposed as form of deposit
Monday, March 12, 2012 - 09:58:17
German mobile users could soon be handing over their old handsets in order to get money off a new purchase, according to The Local.
MP Dorothea Steiner explained that it might sensible to set up a scheme by which people passing over a used mobile when they upgrade to a contemporary handset would receive around £8.30 (€10) regardless of the age or condition of the phone.
Steiner, who represents the Green Party in Germanys, said that there are an estimated 80 million old mobile phones gathering dust in homes across the country, with many more simply ending up dumped.
With annual mobile sales topping 1.6 billion units there are large amounts of precious materials which might otherwise be lost if the handsets that contain them are improperly disposed of.
Steiner said that about 400 tons of silver and an incredible 38 tons of gold go into making mobile phones each year and it is these materials which continue to give old handsets value long after they have been superseded from a technical point of view.
The proposed scheme will see old phones essentially being used to earn German users money off a new handset and Steiner hopes that it will be easier to encourage more people to recycle their old phones if it is a simple process which also nets them some kind of financial reward.
By the end of the decade the EU is planning to recycle at least 65 per cent of all electronic goods sold, of which mobile phones make up a significant proportion.
In the UK many people upgrade their phone every 12 months or less, so mobile recycling has received plenty of attention. You can earn cash when you sell your old phone online and rest easy in the knowledge that you are doing your bit for the environment.
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