Mobile phone recycling has become a hot issue in the recycling world as more and more information emerges about the dangers of mobile phone batteries as well as the potential benefits of recycling. Governments have put pressure on mobile phone makers to come up with schemes aimed at getting more people to recycle their old mobile phones. Some companies have offered vouchers while others are giving cash rebates for mobile phones that can be re-used or recycled for parts. Mobile phone batteries can be dangerous as they often leak into landfills and end up contaminating water supplies. IN addition, mobile phones have many valuable parts that can be used in electronics or in many applications in the medical field.
The biggest problem mobile phone makers have faced is that many people are unaware of how to recycle a mobile phone, or they are unmotivated to do so. According to a recent study by ABI Research many people are interested in helping the environment but most of them think that there should be some sort of reward for doing so. Of all of the people who recycled phones only five percent did so without some kind of reward, according to the study. Most people who donated their phones did so to charitable organizations which offer tax breaks, or turned in their old phone for vouchers or cash. This shows that people need incentives to get greener, especially when it comes to recycling their mobile phones.
However, some in the industry say it is not all about rewards but making it easier to recycle their phones.
Many who were surveyed said that they would be more likely to recycle if it didn’t take any special effort.
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