How Irresponsible Disposal Of Electronics Is Hurting Our Environment

Smartphones have become extremely important parts of our lives. They are now critically important in an increasingly interconnected world. We need our phones for just about everything, from socialising to working. However, while phones are important, they have also become frequently replaceable. Most people prefer to replace their current mobile every twenty months or so, when a newer model comes out. More than five billion people have smartphones across the world, and many of them are hooked to the annual or bi-annual upgrade cycle.

Also read: How Cashify Complies With E-Waste Management Rules

Electronic waste is rapidly growing and causing the most problems in waste disposal across the world. It includes printers, computers, televisions, mobiles, etc. Most e-waste globally isn’t handled in an environmentally conscious way. Only around fifteen to twenty percent is recycled across the planet. Recycling methods too aren’t consistent across countries. Laws regulating e-waste have been needed for a long time. Countries are finally waking up to the issue and legislating eg. India’s new e-waste management rules of 2016. Since more than 1.6 billion new mobile phone models are sold each year, this critical problem needs a solution.

One of the best outcomes for your old phone is to be refurbished and resold after clearing the data. You can sell it on Cashify for responsible handling. Plastic and precious metals are then collected and disposed of in a way that limits environmental pollution, or sold to smelting operations. Responsible disposal of old devices allows maximum value to be extracted out of them before these devices are discarded in an ecologically sensible manner. 

Sometimes, people just throw their used mobiles in the dustbin. These old devices then end up in landfills, which later decay and start toxifying the soil, and hence by extension, the environment. This causes a monetary loss of approximately fifty five billion dollars annually, as otherwise precious metals could have been extracted if the phones were responsibly disposed of. 

Also read: Ways In Which Recycling Helps Our Environment

Environmentally responsible citizens should definitely seek out well-equipped recycling companies like Cashify, through which a mobile can be resold after being refurbished thus giving that phone a second life. To solve this problem is one of the reasons why Cashify was incorporated. Our doorstep pickup service ensures that old devices can be easily and safely disposed of. 

In some countries like the US, retailers are mandated by law to accept old mobiles and then to dispose or recycle them. This allowed the telephony giant Apple to recover forty million dollars worth of gold in 2015, just by recycling iPhones.

But even beyond these efforts, environmental groups like Greenpeace are urging electronics manufacturers to stop using hazardous materials altogether. This is definitely the way to go, as sustainability is critical to ensure we don’t harm our planet.

Also read: How You Can Help The Environment By Selling Your Old Phone On Cashify

You too can help protect the environment by recycling your old device with Cashify. Thank you for helping us preserve the environment!

(cover image source: inhabitat.com)