Dive summary:
- Earthworks, a U.S. environmental watchdog which focuses on resource extraction, is launching a website to help encourage people to recycle their old phones instead of sending them, and the valuable metals inside them to the landfill.
- By recycling old phones, the demand for newly mined metals is reduced and groundwater is protecting by keeping hazardous metals out of landfills.
- Recovering the gold found in 50 million cell phones, which is the projected sale of new iPhone 5 by the end of the year, could prevent the creation of 2 million tons of mining waste.
From the article:
As millions of new iPhones appear in mailboxes around the country, Earthworks, the only U.S. environmental watchdog focusing exclusively on the impacts of resource extraction on communities and the environment, announces the launch of their new Recycle My Cell Phone website.
Through the website, consumers can responsibly recycle their phones; reducing the demand for newly mined metals – including conflict minerals, and protecting groundwater by keeping hazardous metals out of landfills. For example, recovering the gold found in 50 million cell phones (iPhone5 sales are projected to reach 50 million by year's end) could prevent the creation of 2 million tons of mining waste. ...
