According to a study conducted by the United Nations, mobile phones are becoming one of the biggest culprits contributing to the alarming high rates of growing electronic waste. Which are now being called e-waste. Cell phones are purchased across the world in droves each day, and what happens to the old mobile no longer needed? It ends up in the rubbish bin, or in a draw somewhere forgotten about.
In response to this phenomenon, which many studies have shown could become a serious problem if not dealt with, mobile phone companies have begun coming up with recycling schemes and fresh incentives to encourage buyers to recycle their old merchandise.
Sprint is just the latest in a long list of mobile phone companies scrambling to avert the problem before it becomes too late. At a recent hearing in Washington regarding this very problem, Sprint Nextel was just one of the many companies asked to participate. The talk focused on energy efficiency and the responsibilities of the information and communication technology industry on making products more environmentally safe.
Sprint Nextel CEO, Dan Hesse, took his time on the stand to focus on a newly created buyback programme which the mobile phone company had launched in the US. The programme calls for customers to be awarded a point of sale credit if they turn in at least three ‘eligible wireless devices’. Credits will range from $5 to $300 based on what the consumer turns back in. For example, one customer handed in a BlackBerry 9700 Bold and received a credit for $161.05. Sprint’s unique angle is that the device does not have to be purchased from Sprint. Any electronic wireless device, no matter the carrier, can be turned in.
In fact, the company has boldly stated that with this new programme they will have collected and recycled up to 90% of the handsets they sell by the year 2017. Research has shown that people are much more willing to turn in old electronic devices if they receive something in return. The company has said that so far they have collected and recycled up to 19 million phones since 2001.
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