Old mobile phones: A potential gold mine
Can old mobile phones serve as a potential gold mine? ISTP doctoral candidate from the Swiss Minerals Observatory Antoinette van der Merwe and ETH Zurich Prof. Isabel Günther dug deeper into Swiss drawers to find approximately 6.5 million unused phones. In a policy brief, they emphasize that return rates of old devices for recycling remain significantly low despite most people saying they know where to recycle their old phones.
Summary
Mobile phones are the most commonly owned and one of the most frequently replaced personal electronic devices. Most people keep their old phone at home once they replace it. Although this might seem harmless, it withholds minerals from re-entering supply chains, which constitutes a significant lost resource.
We estimate that about 6.5 million unused phones are laying around in drawers in Switzerland. Return rates of old devices for recycling remain low, despite most people saying they know where to recycle their old phones. The sale of second-hand devices also is low, even though more than half of people state that they are willing to sell their old devices for as little as CHF 5. Most people do not really know why they keep their old phones. In their latest policy paper "Old mobile phones: a potential gold mine", external page Antoinette van der Merwe and Prof. Isabel Günther recommend that awareness campaigns should not only emphasise the environmental impact of e-waste but also the harm of keeping “retired” phones at home.
“Although keeping your old phone at home might seem harmless, it withholds minerals from re-entering supply chains, which constitutes a significant lost resource.”Antoinette van der Merwe & Isabel Günther, ETH Zurich
- Policy Paper: "Old mobile phones: A potential gold mine"
- NADEL - Center for Development and Cooperation & Institute of Science, Technology and Policy
- Author(s): Antoinette van der Merwe & Prof. Isabel Günther
Please find the the full policy paper Download here (PDF, 390 KB).