Recycling our mobile handsets
Do the business corporations and individuals who are benefiting from the booming telecom business, have a responsibility to make sure that the by-products are recycled? Who oversees them? Or who should be overseeing them? None?
Our nation is busy with fighting corruption, catching all the big fishes and reform. And also, the politics about the lack of politics. Or better said, the politics about the lack right to take other people's right to work, right to transportation and right to live. They have also much more important things – like whether a funny cartoon should hurt our feeling, whether the editor is actually a dalal, or whether party of Go.A. should be banned by the EC even though they had a chance to do that. Most interestingly, Menon also thinks that EC is being used by the CTG!! Menon? So funny.
Our genius (!) older generation, at least, many of them are busy with forecasting what may happen unless there is democracy. If we could just tell them to shut up, we would. But that would not be advisable, because we, the young, would become `beyadop', then.
So, lets talk about something else today. Rather, lets talk about some other danger in the making in Bangladesh – as we speak. They – the authority – the government – the older ones in general – would not notice it until it becomes a crisis. So, lets try informing them. We ourselves should also be informed. There is a possibility for money to be made – if you are entrepreneurial.
Our policymakers are very happy with the telecom industry in Bangladesh. So, they are giving all the licenses they can give – to the local as well as foreign companies. People are buying the handsets, too. How many of them are sold every year? How many of them are recycled? What will happen when millions of users start changing their handsets, one in every other year?
Nobody will notice until these handsets start blocking the sewerage system – just like it was the case with polithyne bags.
So, let us read through the following cut&paste materials and see, if we can do something about it. As we mentioned earlier, there are opportunity to make money – if you are really entrepreneurial.
If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.
Thanks for your time,
Innovation Line
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Note: This is a freelance column, published mainly in different internet based forums. This column is open for contribution by the members of new generation, sometimes referred to as Gen 71. If you identify yourself as someone from that age-group and want to contribute to this column, please feel free to contact. Thanks to the group moderator for publishing the article.
We have not seen the Liberation War, but we know if we can free the country from corruption first, we will eventually get to other dreams soon. Because of corruption, we could not even get into information highway for years, let alone other dreams!
This is the kind of article for which we started this column. Because of ongoing mess, a gift from our older generation, we often get diverted. Now that it seems some sanity is returning in Bangladesh, we would try to go back to our original plan.
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Mobile Phone Recycling
According to David Adam in the Guardian (8 Jan 2005), users on average replace mobiles every 18 months; 15 million are discarded in the UK each year but only 4% are recycled, isn't that staggering? They are a hazard if discarded and if they are recycled they can be put to very good use.
Currently, it is estimated that there are about 45 million phone users in the UK (Ref: the Mobile Takeback Web site, Nov 2004), with 1.25 billion mobile phone users world-wide (Ref: Eurosource Europe, Nov 2004) and this number is steadily rising. Eurosource Europe also state that 58 million replacement mobiles are bought each year in Europe, with approximately 85 million unused phones lying around in people's homes. So, millions of old phones could potentially be recycled annually, although it is estimated that fewer than 5% are.
To comply with the WEEE directive, originally it was decided that all companies would have to ensure that all mobile phones were recycled, by August 2005. In the UK plans were delayed and full WEEE compliance by producers was delayed until July 2007. The detailed terms are more complicated than this, however, and interested parties (producers and suppliers especially) should look to the ICER site. To link to ICER click here.
A number of valuable materials are used in the construction of mobile phones, and they contain components which, if carefully removed, can be used again, for example in electronic devices.
Perhaps more importantly, some cell phones and their accessories contain substances that are amongst the 10 most dangerous known to man including Cadmium, Rhodium, Palladium, Beryllium and Lead Solder (Ref: Cellular Reclamation Ltd, Nov 2004) and most of this ends up in a land fill site or the sea. This is because, at least until recently, there was no easy and safe way that you could dispose of your old mobiles, so they were just thrown in the bin. Now with so many convenient mobile phone recycling schemes around, there's no need for this - and no excuse for not recycling your old phone.
The content of mobile phones varies from model to model, and as the technology advances there will be changes in the composition. Previously published data (Ref: BT Cellnet and Mobile Takeback sites, Sept 2001) state that a reasonable average (weight percent) is:
ABS-PC 29%
Ceramics 16%
Cu and compounds 15%
Silicon Plastics 10%
Epoxy 9%
Other Plastics 8%
Iron 3%
PPS 2%
Flame retardant 1%
Nickel and compounds 1%
Zinc and compounds 1%
Silver and compounds 1%
Al, Sn, Pb, Au, Pd, Mn, etc. less than 1%
Ni-Cd batteries contain Cadmium, a dangerous toxic and carcinogenic substance; mobiles also contain arsenic, mercury and other dangerous toxic substances. The quantity in landfill sites is significant, and considerable toxic contamination is caused by the inevitable medium and long-term effects of these substances leaking into the surrounding soil.
Many schemes, including some of those referenced above, recover and reuse various parts from the phones and their accessories. These can be sent for separate metals recovery (including precious and semiprecious metals); this involves grinding down the parts to isolate metals components for recycling. Useful metal content can also be extracted from phone batteries and recycled. Plastic elements of phones can be recovered through energy-from-incineration; some plastics recovered from the outer body of recycled telephones can be granulated and reformulated and can be reused in mouldings such as car wheel trims and printer cassettes. Recovery and downgrading of valuable components, such as flash memory devices can be achieved. Useful parts include aerials, battery connectors, PCBs (printed circuit boards) , connectors including gold-coated edge contacts on PCBs, ICs (integrated circuits), keyboards, LCD screens, lenses, microphones, phone housings, screws, SIM card assemblies and speakers.
Over the years, however, another end-of-life option has emerged and is gaining popularity. It has become more common for companies to refurbish old mobiles and sell or pass these on to developing countries including eastern European countries and parts of Africa.
Many schemes set up for recycling and safe disposal of mobile phones, most of which seem to be national, are listed on the envocare site. Most are free to you, many aid charities and some can earn you cash. The schemes typically catalogue the phones, including the IMEI identification number. SIM cards are checked and any found `live' are (or should be) reported back. All the equipment should be recycled in accordance with the terms of current and draft EU legislation. You should be issued with an inventory and Duty of Care Transfer Certificate that transfers the responsibility for safe disposal to the scheme. The batteries should be processed by a specialist reprocessing plant to extract the metals.
Further information on related topics will be found elsewhere on this site, for example look for Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE: click here ), Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS: click here ), Batteries (click here ), Plastics (click here ) and Duty of Care.
http://www.recyclenow.com/what_more_can_i_do/can_it_be_recycled/mobile_phones.html
How/what happens when they are recycled
Most schemes recover and re-use various parts from phones and their accessories.
Parts recovery may include:
- Separate metals recovery (including precious and semiprecious metals): The mobile parts are ground up and useful metal content extracted. Metal can be extracted from batteries too.
- Plastic recovery: energy-from-incineration is used to recover plastic from components. Outer body plastic may be granulated and reformulated for use in mouldings.
- Recovery and downgrading of valuable components: e.g. flash memory devices.
- Re-use of parts: Useful parts include aerials, battery connectors, PCBs (printed circuit boards), connectors including gold-coated edge contacts on PCBs, ICs (integrated circuits), keyboards, LCD screens, lenses, microphones, phone housings, screws, SIM card assemblies and speakers.
Many manufacturers have signed up to the Basel Convention agreeing to cooperate with developing environmentally sound management to end-of-life mobile phones.
http://www.connect-tech.co.jp/english/newsrelease/20051125_55.htm
Notification on "Connect Repro Corporation," a joint corporation to engage in the recycling of mobile phones
November 25, 2005
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| At a board meeting of November 25, 2005, the directors of Connect Technologies Corporation resolved to establish "Connect Repro Corporation" (Connect Repro), a joint venture company specialized in the recycling of mobile phones. The new company is to be co-owned by International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd. (IMES; Head Office: 3, Kirihara-cho, Fujisawa, Kanagawa; Representative: Masahiko Egashira, President and CEO).
Connect Repro will draw from the combined expertise of Connect Technologies, a system developer for mobile phones, and IMES, a specialist in liquid crystal technology, to offer original mobile phone terminal recycling/reuse services. The new corporation is expected to become a leader in the mobile product recycling business.
The new subsidiary will be entered into the consolidated accounts of Connect Technologies from the first quarter of this fiscal year. Connect Technologies is now estimating how the subsidiary will impact its consolidated business performance. We will notify users of further forecasts and results when they are confirmed.
Background
More than 50 million mobile phones now ship annually in the Japanese market. The system for recycling the older models returned during replacement purchases is roughly divided into two businesses: the collection agency business and material extraction business. Neither makes provisions for the reuse of parts for the commercialization of new or refurbished devices. Connect Repro will be the first specialized company with both the recycling know-how to permit reuse and the technical know-how to permit the commercialization of partly refurbished mobile products.
The new company is to be established as a specialist recycler backed by the recycling know-how of IMES and the mobile phone expertise of Connect Technologies.
Outline of subsidiary
Trade name: Connect Repro Corporation
Representative: Tetsuya Kaku, President and CEO
Address: Davinci Shinjuku Bldg. 6F, 4-3-17, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Date of establishment: Late November, 2005
Major line of business: Sale of reused mobile phones parts and the planning, development, production, and sale of products containing reused parts
Settlement term: Term ending in August
Capital: 98,000,000 yen
Number of shares issued: 1,960
Major shareholders and their shareholding ratios: Connect Technologies 51%, IMES 49%
Outline of IMES
Trade name: International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd.
Representative: Masahiko Egashira, President and CEO
Address: 3, Kirihara-cho, Fujisawa, Kanagawa
Major line of business: Liquid-crystal-related business; design, development, and production of HDD production facilities, HDD testing devices, and measuring instruments; organic electroluminescence display development business; engineering business
Relationship with Connect Technologies: No personal or capital relationship.
Positioning and target
Positioning
- "A planning and operating company specialized in the use of recycled parts." Positioned between a career collection trader and a manufacturer.
- The basic operation is to procure used mobile phone terminals at cost from collection traders, collect liquid crystal panels and other recyclable parts, and plan and sell products containing the recycled parts collected.
- The sale of recycled parts and products containing recycled parts will be the main source of earnings for the time being.
Target
- To become a company at the front end of the recycling business
- To develop a new field of business by taking full advantage of low-cost parts
- To protect the environment by promoting the recycling of parts
The measures of the company to promote parts recycling will be examined as conditions and needs change with time.
Schedule
Contract day: November 25, 2005
Date of establishment: Late November, 2005
[Connect Technologies Corporation]
Connect Technologies Corporation was established in 2000 by Index Corporation as a research and development division specializing in software development for mobile phones. Since that time we have continuously provided leading-edge solutions to mobile phone carriers and content providers in three major categories of mobile communications business products, content & solutions, and research & consulting. Our company was listed on Mothers of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on March 16, 2004.
We will continue to propose superior solutions for mobile phones in the future as well.
Please access our website at http://www.connect-tech.co.jp for more details about our company.
International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd.
International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd. was established in 1990 as a manufacturer of computer peripherals and machines for the production of computer peripherals. The company's mainstay business is the manufacture of production and inspection equipment related to HDDs, LCD modules, backlight, and organic EL.
Visit http://www.imes.co.jp/ for details.
[Inquiries on news articles]
Business Strategy Office, Connect Technologies Corporation
Phone: +81-3-5368-5520
E-mail: ir@connect-tech.co.jp
International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd., IR/Management Planning Dept. (Person in charge: Akeshi Yokoyama)
Tel: +81-466-45-5658
Fax: +81-466-45-0045
E-mail: ir@imes.co.jp |
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/mobile-recycling
Recycle Old Mobiles
No hassle way to earn up to £150 for unused handsets
Empty your drawers and it's likely you'll find one, or a few, unused old mobiles. It's estimated there are 90 million hanging around the dark, dank parts of UK homes. Don't despair though, there's a quick, no-hassle way to turn `em into hard cash. A growing `old-phone buying' market means with a couple of clicks, you can earn £20-£150 per phone.
How 'old phone buying' companies work
These are specialist, mainly web based companies, which will take an old phone off your hands and give you cash. Better still, you get much more than the `trade-in' discount you received when handing in your phone to a high street retailer.
What type of phones do they want?
Sadly, digging a mobile out of the wardrobe isn't a guarantee of decent cash. Your phone needs to be in decent working condition, have no more than mild cosmetic damage, the original battery, hopefully the charger, and be able to be switched on.
Companies won't pay a decent whack for all phones so if it's old, rare or 3G (there isn't a market for these yet) a bigger hunt's needed to find one that'll accept it. If your phone is only slightly under the weather, check how much you'd get for a fully working model. Often all it takes is replacing the battery, so it may be worth doing that yourself to get the decent sales value.
How do they operate?
They give you a price, and if you accept it, then usually send a jiffy bag for the phone, which you can return freepost. Yet they don't accept responsibility for non-delivery so depending on the value of the phone, it's worth considering sending the phones by `Recorded Signed-For' delivery which insures it for up to £32 and costs around 70p on top of the usual postage.
Send the phone charged, switched off, without the Sim card, and remove any security or pin codes that'll hamper its testing. To do this, just opt for `reset factory settings' on your phone's menu. If it isn't up to scratch (usually only 20% of phones are rejected) you'll generally be contacted and offered a reduced price, which you can accept or have the phone returned free of charge.
The Environmental Bit: Where do old phones go?
Getting rid of your old phone isn't just about de-cluttering though. There are potentially noxious substances in decaying phones. It's reckoned cadmium batteries can infect the water system and lead, brominated flame retardants and beryllium could harm the environment if incorrectly disposed of, so even if no one will give you cash for it, don't throw your old phone out with the rubbish.
What happens to the phones?
Once they're tested, if the phones are decent, they're then shipped abroad and flogged. For example Envirofone sells phones in the Middle and Far East, Africa and South America. The one thing to be aware of is if it's a particularly high value phone there is a chance these companies will sell it on eBay* to get the most money, therefore if you find your phone is high value, you may want to consider doing that yourself, and cutting out the middle man (see Alternative Options later).
If your phone is of a lower class then it will be broken down and sold as component parts and if it's totally worthless, these companies will dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way.
Best Buys: Comparing the top phone buying companies
While I've compiled the best payers for you, the golden rule is try a few to see who'll give you the most for your phone. In one comparison where two companies said one old phone was worthless, a third was prepared to pay £20; for another phone the amounts varied from £25 to £75. So don't give up too soon.
Phones in good condition
- Fast, high paying and reliable. Web only company Envirofone* pays well, though not the very top prices, but wins due to its simple procedure and strong feedback. Enter the phone's details and it instantly gives you a price. This is either paid in cash (by cheque) or you can opt for roughly 15% more in Argos points. It also donates £1 to charity per phone.
- The highest payer for high spec mobiles in top notch condition. Cex comes out top for many higher value models, because rather than ship your phones abroad, it simply tarts them up and sells them to others. But this means it's very picky about the phone's condition. To sell your item simply click on 'Sell to CEX' at the top of the page. It won't send you a jiffy bag, you'll have to bundle it up yourself. Yet if it's good enough you could consider flogging it yourself (see Alternative methods).
- Best of the rest. Mobile2cash, Mopay*, Mazuma and Mobilephonebuyer are the other big players and the more you try, the better.
Please feedback which of the companies perform best for you in the mobile recycling discussion.
Damaged phones
Envirofone*, Mopay* and Mobilephonebuyer will look at non-working phones, offering a reduced price for these (expect to get around 10-50% of the working price) or at the very least will re-cycle them for you. Alternatively Greener Solutions (who also run Mobile2cash) works in partnership with Tesco and offers 100 Clubcard points (worth £4 in Deals vouchers) for non-working phones or donates £1 to Tesco's current charity. Disposal bags are available from Tesco customer services.
There's also a mobile recycling scheme operated via Nectar which pays out its points, but it usually doesn't come close to the best of the cash payers, so it's best left as a last resort.
Other options to cash in your phone
Phone-buyers aren't the only option and whilst they're by far the least hassle with a bit of effort you make make even more cash.
- Ebay or car boot
The most profitable way to ditch your old mobile is DIY. There's a thriving old phones market on eBay*, earning you on average 20–30% more than the best `phone-buyer' sites. It's up to you to balance the extra cash with the extra hassle though, and of course, there are no guarantees.
The best thing to do is go to eBay and search for a phone identical to yours and preferably in similar condition; then just check what price they're going for. This should give you a rough indication of whether it's worth considering. - Sell it to a friend
If you don't want to give it to a friend, selling it can be mutually beneficial, both earning you more and costing them less than doing it commercially. The difficulty is deciding on a price without ruining the friendship.
My easy formula is, take the best price from the `phone-buyer' companies and add 10%. If there's a dispute, simply show them this, proving it's an unbiased parties' assessment. - Re-use it
Just because the phone no longer has the package you want, it doesn't mean you need a new phone. Most phones can be legally and freely unlocked to work on any network (see the Unlock Your Mobile article).
This also means it can be used as an alternative handset for things, such as texting only mobiles, using Sim cards offering cheaper texts, as a phone for your children, or specially to use abroad (see Mobile Phone Cost Cutting and Cheapest Roaming Mobile articles). - What about the charity option?
Many people see `we'll collect your old mobile for charity deals' and think woo hoo; yet I'm not a fan. This isn't due to a philosophical objection to giving to charity, but more because this simply isn't an efficient way to do it for mid to high value phones (it's not bad for lower value ones).
These schemes work by simply giving the charity a cut of the cash you would've received; yet if you sell it, you get more than the charity does. So to maximize your donation, sell it yourself then donate the cash to the charity, which means not only does the charity get more cash, but because of the `Gift Aid' scheme (see give charities more at no extra cost it can reclaim your tax too, which is an extra 28%. - Trade in low value phones
If you're trying to get a new phone, and you have an old phone which the recycling companies aren't willing to give you much for you could try and trade it in with the company you're buying from (this mainly applies to high street retailers).
Car Phone Warehouse, for example, offers £100 on old phones but this comes with some hefty conditions. It's only available on new O2, Orange and T-Mobile contracts that cost over £30/month and tied in for 18 months. Don't choose a phone on this basis but if you do fall into this category it's worth a look. For info on how to get the best mobile tariff read Mobile Phone Cost Cutting.
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