An estimated 50 million wireless phones will be purchased this holiday season, making the wireless phone one of the hottest gifts of the season. It also makes the wireless phone one of the greatest opportunities to make this a “Green” holiday season.
Many of the phones sold this season will be replacements or upgrades for existing phones. ReCellular, the world’s foremost wireless recycler, estimates that recycling 50 million phones and accessories would reclaim:
A year’s supply of gasoline for 50,000 vehicles: According to The Use Less Stuff Report, reuse of cell phones would save the equivalent of 37.5 million gallons of gasoline. That’s enough to fuel 50,000 vehicles, averaging 20 mpg, to travel 15,000 miles per year.
$31.5 million worth of precious metals: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, each wireless phone circuit board contains $0.63 – not factoring the cost of recovery – of gold, platinum, silver, palladium and copper.
1,563 tons of copper: 50 million phone chargers, each five and half feet long, would stretch wrap the Earth’s equator, twice, and contain enough copper wiring to replace the Statue of Liberty’s copper shell, 50 times.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of phones retired this season will be stored in drawers – joining the estimated 500 million phones already waiting to be recycled or discarded. Be nice to the environment this holiday season and recycle your old cell phone.
Angela Beaubien
Filed under: Environment
