UN urges manufacturers to improve recyclability of gadgets
Monday, April 29, 2013 - 09:19:39
A pair of new reports published by the UN this month have set out to tackle the issues associated with waste electronics, arguing that it is necessary to make it much easier for things like mobile phones to be recycled, once they reach the end of their usable life.
UN representatives want to encourage the companies which produce smartphones and other gadgets to rethink designs, so that it is simple to reconstitute the precious materials they contain, once a consumer has decided that they need to be disposed of.
Part of the reason for this need for greater efficiency comes down to the fact that there will simply be a much higher demand for metals like gold and copper in the coming years.
Emerging markets for mobile devices are causing a significant increase in demand, with the report predicting that we could require up to nine times as much metal resources further down the line because of this.
At the moment, the consumption of metal in developed nations like the US is significantly higher per person than it is in China and other emerging countries. However, this state of affairs will not last for long and as the balance is redressed, the need for better recycling of products containing rare metals will be even more significant.
The problem is that many countries do not take a strong stance on recycling and so many of the devices which could be recycled end up in landfill sites.
This is not only a waste of the minerals they contain, but can also cause environmental problems if their toxic contents leaks.
Hopefully, the UN's influence will help to make the recycling of mobile phones and other electronic items far more prevalent, as well as giving manufacturers an incentive to produce devices which are more sustainable.
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