How the World Works

Where do all the old cellphones go?

Useful information from Nokia:

In fact, up to 80 percent of any Nokia device is recyclable and precious materials within it can be reused to help make new products such as kitchen kettles, park benches, dental fillings or even saxophones and other metal musical instruments.

I know I want my next set of dental fillings to be made from used cellphones. I think that would be pretty neat.

But the sad truth is, almost no one recycles their phone. According to a Nokia survey "based on interviews with 6,500 people in 13 countries" only 3 percent of the world's mobile phone owners recycle their communicators.

This doesn't mean, however, that they're ending up in landfills.

Very few old devices, 4 percent, are being thrown into landfill. Instead the majority, 44 percent, are simply being kept at homes never used. Others are giving their mobiles another life in different ways, one quarter are passing on their old phones to friends or family, and 16 percent of people are selling their used devices particularly in emerging markets.

People! Clear out your drawers!

"If each of the three billion people globally owning mobiles brought back just one unused device we could save 240,000 tonnes of raw materials and reduce greenhouse gases to the same effect as taking 4 million cars off the road," said Markus Terho, Nokia's Director of Environmental Affairs. "By working together, small individual actions could add up to make a big difference."

Future saxophones will thank you.

A Fannie Freddie debate primer
Here's what you need to know when John McCain starts talking about the mortgage mess
Prelude to the debate: Dow falls 508
Character assassination may lose its appeal after two very bad days for Wall Street and Main Street.
Krugman: "We are all Brazilians now"
Balance sheet contagion rules the global economy. "Interdependence" is becoming a dirty word.
Another step toward nationalizing the finance sector
Reactions to the Fed's plan to lend directly to businesses. Plus: Rachel Maddow interviews Paul Krugman.

About How the World Works

A conversation about globalization.

Recent Posts

Prelude to the debate: Dow falls 508
Character assassination may lose its appeal after two very bad days for Wall Street and Main Street.
Krugman: "We are all Brazilians now"
Balance sheet contagion rules the global economy. "Interdependence" is becoming a dirty word.
Another step toward nationalizing the finance sector
Reactions to the Fed's plan to lend directly to businesses. Plus: Rachel Maddow interviews Paul Krugman.

Full Archive

RSS Feed

Posts by date

October 2008
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031

Comments?

You can e-mail me directly at aleonard@salon.com. But to join the conversation with your comments, please use our letters to the editor feature at the bottom of each article.