Although the general public is not yet aware of it, cell phones are the cause of much pollution in our atmosphere. Every eighteen to twenty four months, the average American gets a new cell phone which averages out over a lifetime to thirty four phones as the average age for getting your first cell phone is eighteen. That number is staggering and the age for beginning cell phone users is getting younger and younger.
Landfills are becoming clogged at an alarming rate due to our "throwaway" societal behavior being met with our voracious consumption appetite for cell phones. Along with computer equipment and other types of electronics, people are not aware of how to properly dispose of these items.
It is so sad, but every year we toss away more than 125 million cell phones which creates garbage weighing over 65,000 tons. Educating people that a landfill doesn't have to be the place their cell phone go to retire, would greatly reduce this unnecessary yearly production of waste .
Contained within their circuitry and displays is some very toxic substances such as Copper, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, Lead and Beryllium (a carcinogen linked to cancer). The fact that this is what is leaching into the atmosphere everyday from cell phones being tossed into our landfills, is reason for educating the public about cell phone recycling. Instead of stripping any more of the base materials needed to make cell phones from our already limited natural resources, we could use the existing components over and over again.
Unfortunately, no landfill is 100% safe and it is the toxins that leach from these materials into the ground which pollutes our water table and our drinkable water supply. Currently less than 1% of the entire earths water is drinkable so we must take steps to protect it.
At the University of Northwest Indiana http://www.iun.edu/~environw/landfills.html, studies have been ongoing which show that in Indiana's Northwestern sector alone, 82% of the landfills are experiencing leaks. That statistic is truly frightening since the effect of migration of methane gas and contaminants leaching into the atmosphere cannot be contained.
These leaking emissions can have devastating affects on the populations living in close proximity to a landfill. Some of the side affects have been low birth weight in newborns, heart and liver abnormalities, and shortened height stature. These statistics may have been obtained from the Northwest corner of Indiana, but they surely equate to the same problems for the rest of the country.
The landfills around the country have become so overrun with computers and other discarded electronic equipment, that unless we take steps now to curtail this practice, we will soon be running out of land in which to accommodate these items and also running out of the resources from which they are manufactured.
Before Wants - Needs
If your older model cell phone is working just fine, do you really need to buy a new one just to have the coolest, newest one out there? Don't throw your old cell phone away before giving some serious thought to what is being presented here. Couldn't you find something else on which to spend your money?
You may just cavalierly toss away your old cell phone without giving it a second thought, but for a moment, think about where it is going to end up. Then think about the adverse affects if will be having on our environment for years to come - much longer than it takes your memories of it to fade.
Can I Do Something To Help?
Wisely dispose of your unwanted cell phone. Each country internationally and each state domestically, have their own requirements. So do a little research and while you're at it, check out where you can go to recycle or donate your phone instead of just tossing it.
There isn't as yet a mandate on recycling cell phones, but there are many states that are implementing their own measures.
Some states have even gone so far as to require a recycling program for businesses in order to obtain a business license. It will be illegal to sell their products unless they have a recycling system in place.
Your cell phones' retirement home does not have to be in a landfill. It can be given a new lease on life by being adopted out to another good home.
www.wadt.org is a nonprofit organization that uses donations of cell phones to help in maintaining the security of victims of domestic violence. You will be donating your cell phone to a very worthy cause.
Can I Resell My Cell Phone on Craigslist or Ebay?
Heres another fantastic one, there are actual businesses that will pay you up to $50 for your old cell phone, they make it extremely easy to arrange and will even pay for postage and handling.
Now that you know how to re-use or recycle your old cell phone, remember that these little things make a real difference in keeping our planet cleaner and healthier. Then remember to feel good in the knowledge that you are doing something in making that difference.
Landfills are becoming clogged at an alarming rate due to our "throwaway" societal behavior being met with our voracious consumption appetite for cell phones. Along with computer equipment and other types of electronics, people are not aware of how to properly dispose of these items.
It is so sad, but every year we toss away more than 125 million cell phones which creates garbage weighing over 65,000 tons. Educating people that a landfill doesn't have to be the place their cell phone go to retire, would greatly reduce this unnecessary yearly production of waste .
Contained within their circuitry and displays is some very toxic substances such as Copper, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, Lead and Beryllium (a carcinogen linked to cancer). The fact that this is what is leaching into the atmosphere everyday from cell phones being tossed into our landfills, is reason for educating the public about cell phone recycling. Instead of stripping any more of the base materials needed to make cell phones from our already limited natural resources, we could use the existing components over and over again.
Unfortunately, no landfill is 100% safe and it is the toxins that leach from these materials into the ground which pollutes our water table and our drinkable water supply. Currently less than 1% of the entire earths water is drinkable so we must take steps to protect it.
At the University of Northwest Indiana http://www.iun.edu/~environw/landfills.html, studies have been ongoing which show that in Indiana's Northwestern sector alone, 82% of the landfills are experiencing leaks. That statistic is truly frightening since the effect of migration of methane gas and contaminants leaching into the atmosphere cannot be contained.
These leaking emissions can have devastating affects on the populations living in close proximity to a landfill. Some of the side affects have been low birth weight in newborns, heart and liver abnormalities, and shortened height stature. These statistics may have been obtained from the Northwest corner of Indiana, but they surely equate to the same problems for the rest of the country.
The landfills around the country have become so overrun with computers and other discarded electronic equipment, that unless we take steps now to curtail this practice, we will soon be running out of land in which to accommodate these items and also running out of the resources from which they are manufactured.
Before Wants - Needs
If your older model cell phone is working just fine, do you really need to buy a new one just to have the coolest, newest one out there? Don't throw your old cell phone away before giving some serious thought to what is being presented here. Couldn't you find something else on which to spend your money?
You may just cavalierly toss away your old cell phone without giving it a second thought, but for a moment, think about where it is going to end up. Then think about the adverse affects if will be having on our environment for years to come - much longer than it takes your memories of it to fade.
Can I Do Something To Help?
Wisely dispose of your unwanted cell phone. Each country internationally and each state domestically, have their own requirements. So do a little research and while you're at it, check out where you can go to recycle or donate your phone instead of just tossing it.
There isn't as yet a mandate on recycling cell phones, but there are many states that are implementing their own measures.
Some states have even gone so far as to require a recycling program for businesses in order to obtain a business license. It will be illegal to sell their products unless they have a recycling system in place.
Your cell phones' retirement home does not have to be in a landfill. It can be given a new lease on life by being adopted out to another good home.
www.wadt.org is a nonprofit organization that uses donations of cell phones to help in maintaining the security of victims of domestic violence. You will be donating your cell phone to a very worthy cause.
Can I Resell My Cell Phone on Craigslist or Ebay?
Heres another fantastic one, there are actual businesses that will pay you up to $50 for your old cell phone, they make it extremely easy to arrange and will even pay for postage and handling.
Now that you know how to re-use or recycle your old cell phone, remember that these little things make a real difference in keeping our planet cleaner and healthier. Then remember to feel good in the knowledge that you are doing something in making that difference.
About the Author:
Beverly Clarke manages a network of living green websites promoting eco-conscious choices. To find out how you can create your own day by day recycling plan Download Your Free Report
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