Studies conducted in the United Kingdom have shown that mobile phone recycling has become one of the hottest issues when it comes to the environment. With most Brits changing out their phones for a new variety within twelve to fourteen months, the issue of what to do with the unused handsets has become a major problem. Not only do mobile phones and other types of e-waste make large contributions to the country’s landfills, they can also leak harmful chemicals into the soil which can eventually contaminate drinking water. Governments have put pressure on mobile phone manufacturers to create schemes which will lead to increased recycling of mobile phones, and according to a recent study these schemes might be raising the public’s awareness of the issue.
According to a recent survey carried out by Hitwise there has been a dramatic increase in internet searches relating to the recycling of mobile phones. According to their research there has been a one hundred and eighty nine percent rise in searches which use key words like ‘recycle mobile phones’ and ‘mobile phone recycling’ over the past year. From May of 2008 to May of 2009 the number of searches using those key phraseshas nearly quadrupled according to the report by Hitwise. The study also revealed some of the reasons why there has been such a surge in these types of searches.
One of the reasons is the increased visibility of ad campaigns which urge customers to recycle mobile phones. There has been a rise in the number of schemes offering customers cash for their unwanted mobile phones, an incentive which Hitwise believes has partially led to the increase in searches.
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