Environmental issues have been at the forefront of discussion lately as the world gears up for the United Nations summit on climate change in Copenhagen in December. For years people have known about the benefits of recycling things like paper, plastic, glass, and metal but what many didn’t know is that one of the biggest threats to the environment may be in their pocket. A recent study showed that mobile phone waste could be one of the biggest future threats to the environment. So even though it may be fashionable to have the latest phone, it is important that the old one is disposed of properly.
Deloitte, a global consultancy firm, recently did a study which showed that by the year 2012 over eight thousand tonnes of mobile phone waste will pollute landfills around the world. The study highlighted the need to find more effective ways to handle mobile phone waste. The study comes on the heels of other research which showed that there were nearly ninety million unused mobile phones in the United Kingdom alone. The reasons behind people not recycling are that they are unsure of how to recycle their phone or are simply unaware that this is even an option.
Rapid changes in technology have led to people purchasing more mobile phones as they try to keep up with the latest trend. The disposed phones can leak harmful chemicals into the soil which eventually end up in rivers and other bodies of water. This can cause major damage to wildlife and ecosystems and health problems in humans when the chemicals find their way into drinking water.
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