Mobile Phone Recycling: Curb Dangerous Waste Accumulation
Even kids these days are aware of the significance of recycling and why it suddenly has become the need
of the hour with every other object of utility lying around us. While most of them can easily be recycled
some others are tend to just accumulate with time. This adds on to the waste proportions on Earth
which is apparently on a rise and causes a lot of detrimental effects to the environment. Efficient
methods of recycling employed thus helps to some extent in reducing the volumes of such difficult
wastes consequently reducing the poisonous emissions to the atmosphere. Cell phones are not new to
mankind and in this day and age where they have become almost a basic necessity to men and women
in all countries around the world, the number of cell phones produced and sold are on an all time high.
Valuable and non-renewable metal resources are being mined for the production of these high-in
demand electronic goods amongst which mobile phones rate on a high note, and thus mobile phone
recycling is the one of the efficient solutions employed that would stop the mining of virgin metals.
Billions of mobile phone units are manufactured and sold throughout the world but how many are
aware that when you sell mobile phones you can get them recycled, at least certain parts of these very
common gadgets? With communication and information technologies going through a make-over every
second in this fast paced technologically driven world of ours people tend to replace the phones even if
they are in good working condition.
There has been cell phone recycling programs and cell phone collection programs out of the mammoth
quantities being replaced only 1% of them are actually recycled. This is majorly due to the small scale
awareness programs on the recycle mobile phones agenda and their collections and subsequent
recycling. The metals used in the cell phones like copper, iron, nickel, silver and zinc with small
quantities of aluminum, gold, lead, manganese, palladium, platinum and tin account a huge amount of
waste when you see the number of cell phones discarded each year.
These mobile phone parts are not just recycled to be used in newer mobile phones but can be made to
manufacture a plethora of other items from traffic cone to gold rings. Most of the reputed mobile phone
providers have provisions for recycling your mobiles. If not, you can always go onto a search engine and
type mobile phone recycling centers in your area and get your old phone recycled today. Your individual
step towards recycling has the capacity to make a huge difference in saving Mother Earth from early
annihilation.
Why Recycle Your Mobile Phones?
Once upon a time, food, shelter and clothing were the three basic needs of an average man. However,
with the advent of new technologies and digital innovations the “basic need” scenario has undergone a
vast makeover and there are a few more things that a commonest to the most important man cannot do
without. One amongst these things that is seen frequently on almost everyone is a mobile phone.
Mobile phones were once a luxury and now they have become like toilet paper which gets replaced
every now and then. Owing to the reduced prices and the constant up gradation of communication and
information technology, mobile phones get replaced in a span of a few years with a brand new model.
While the older mobile goes outdated nobody really cares about what must be done with that mobile
anymore.
mobile phone recycling thus comes into picture to avoid the accumulation of this electronic device
amongst the dump that is tough to recycle. Recycling of any waste is prudent such that it does not
increase the carbon footprint of Mother Earth, but amongst these various products that are recycled
some parts of certain products are extremely stubborn candidates for recycling. Mobile phones have
certain metal composites and chemicals used in them as well that may be hazardous to the
environment. Besides it is also difficult to find a way to recycle certain mobile phone parts and they
gradually get accumulated as waste.
For instance, mobile phone internals are welded with lead, lead as we know is potentially poisonous if
exposed to the open environment. It can cause disorders in the brain especially of infants and toddlers
when exposed to it. This dangerous element is also known to cause malfunctioning of the immune
system and nervous system disorders. It also contains elements like Cadmium that has the ability to
adulterate huge amounts of water and contaminate it in no time is present in substantial amounts in a
mobile phone battery. Apart from these a quintessential cell phone consists of flame retardants and
beryllium. While both these constituents are potentially harmful the latter is also known to be one of
the causes of lung cancer.
Knowing the toxic substances present in your old unused mobiles you must now be alert citizens of
planet earth and help save the planet from excessive deterioration in terms of harmful mobile parts
being stored away rather than being given for recycling. mobile phone recycling helps in many ways to
retain certain unrecyclable parts and reused in other mobiles. Besides, old mobiles can also be recycled
by offering these equipments to poor people of the third world countries who can only dream of these
hi-tech equipments.
Sell Mobile Phones and Help Mobile Phone Recycling:
Mobile Phones, are needless to say, one of the most overrated and overused instrument by almost all
people in the major commercially significant places in the world. The prices of mobiles are so down to
earth these days that even the commonest of common man gets to afford hi-tech mobile phones with
latest technologies. Also, as technology gets constantly updated mobile phones aren’t left behind in
incorporating these devices with the latest in digital technologies. Eventually, human beings who are
generally not satisfied with what they have tend to immediately opt a new mobile phone and forget all
about their old phones.
In first world countries and most of the developing nations the mobile phone consumers are on an all-
time high. With this number it is only the mobile phone manufacturers that are profiting, as long as the
environment is concerned, you would be a little more than amazed to know the harm caused by the
various parts used in these mobiles. With the rise in demand there is a rise in the amount of virgin
metals being mined and this gradually becomes one of the sole reasons of depleting natural resources.
Most of these parts also have the ability to cause toxic contamination of massive quantities of water
resources as well as the air in the environment. While some metals like lead can cause brain damage in
infants others like beryllium can cause lung infections. It is our duty as learned citizens of the society
that we give our due contribution towards preventing this unnecessary pollution of planet Earth.
Take conducive steps to stop this mobile phone accumulation. mobile phone recycling is a fairly new
concept in the UK and the sad part is most people are too busy to even know that something like this
exists. It is never too late though. At present an estimate of only over 10% of mobile phones are given
for recycling and in future we could only hope that this statistic increases. Try not to change your mobile
phones too often. Spread the word about mobile phone recycling to your neighbors and peers. There
are agencies that pay you for getting your used mobile phones recycled. Search for a local organization
that provides this service and sell mobile phones for recycling, this way you could put it away safely and
also earn a little something in return.
As concerned human beings, give the quality of human life for the forthcoming generations and put a
stop to the destructive nature of the several mobile phones that go into dump and eventually get
accumulated as landfills making it worse for our own well-being.
Extract Minerals from your old mobile phones
It is better to recycle an unwanted or old cell phone, rather than collecting or preserving it. But
generally, people don’t recycle their mobiles. Instead they sell it to poor people at a cheaper rate or may
even lend it to charity. mobile phone recycling process have come up, so that your old cell phones could
earn you money as well as save the environment. The cell phones contain hazardous waste consisting of
copper, lead, mercury, cadmium, barium, nickel, antimony and zinc which eventually leads to landfills.
Hence environmental impact must be taken into consideration and people must be aware of the toxic
elements present in the mobile phones.
The unwanted cell phones produce 65,000 tons of toxic waste and pollute 132,000 liters of water. The
average lifespan of a cell phone is estimated to be 18 months, since people work more and prefer new
products. The number of unused cell phones has touched half a billion and next year 130 million would
be added to it. It has been found out that, 130 million old cell phones weigh around 14000 metric tons.
It contains approximately 2100 metric tons of copper, 46 metric tons of silver, 3.9 metric tons of gold, 2
metric tons of palladium and 0.04 of platinum.
It has also been detected that 230 grams of gold can be extracted from one ton of old or unused cell
phones. It has also been found out that one ton of old cell phones is approximately worth 6000$. One
could earn cash on offering his old cell phones for recycling. He can also lend the money to charity or
any other troops as per his wish. The contents stored in the phones must be deleted by setting on the
master reset option, before it is given for recycling.
A blackberry or apple iPhone mobiles could earn you a good amount when recycled. Recycling
unwanted mobiles are effective under financial, environmental and health perspectives. Not only gold,
core elements like copper, lead and zinc can also be recycled through this process. The benefits of this
mobile recycling process should reach the ears of common people, since only two percent of unused old
mobiles are recycled per year. This can be done by organizing several awareness programs and
campaigns on how it affects the environment and health. Thus the only way to bring the mobile
recycling process into action is to spread the consequences of disposing unwanted cell phones among
the people. First of all, each one of us should come forward to recycle our own old cell phones at home;
even if it is one in number. If the person is not familiar with the process and how to get it done, he could
refer some websites, which offers information about the places or shops where it is done.
Earn Cash from Old and Unwanted Mobiles
Selling old cell phones is far better than saving it at home or disposing away, which in any means may
pollute the environment. It is normally estimated that people upgrade their mobile phones once in
every twelve or eighteen months. There are a lot of people interested in getting old cell phones rather
than buying a new one. Some people believe that affording money for an old mobile is easier and even
some take it as a whole sale business to sell the old cell phones. There are also people who have hobbies
of changing their mobiles often, and hence they prefer getting mobiles second handed. These all happen
to be the reason for the rapid increase in the sales of old cell phones. This idea of selling the old cell
phones or recycling them could make a clean and plastic free environment. When these unwanted or
unused mobiles are exposed as landfills, the toxic elements like copper, lead, mercury, cadmium,
barium, nickel, antimony and zinc included in it affect the environment and health. Hence it could lead
us to a hazardous atmosphere by contaminating the ground water. Since cell phones are made up of
valuable minerals and metals, it cannot be thrown away casually, which is considered as an e-waste.
There are certain charity institutions, which comes forward to collect old mobiles in order to raise funds
for charity. Rather than preserving these old mobiles at home, this method of lending it for charity
sounds better and fair.
One could sell his old or unwanted mobile phone through various means. There are dealers and mobile
phone stations who buy your old cell phones at a finer cost, as per its working condition and quality. You
can also sell your old phones by advertising through online, newspapers, TV, radio and magazines and
fixing a preferred rate for your mobile. There are consumers all over the world who often visit the
websites to buy old or unused cell phones. So advertising through online is the best way to sell your old
mobile phones. It is estimated that, there are more than 500 million old cell phones, resting at drawers,
boxes and dumped away as landfills. There are so many people all over the world who wish in buying old
cell phones. If each of them comes forward in selling or recycling their old cell phones, definitely we
could see an eco-friendly environment. Hence the thing to be kept in mind in case of an old mobile
phone is that, it should be either reused or recycled. Tons of minerals like copper, and gold can also be
extracted from these unused mobile phones.
Need of recycling old mobile phones:
Mobile phone recycling is necessary in this current technological world. There arise a question why
recycling is needed. There is lots of answer to this question. Mobile phone recycling is necessary to save
energy and to meet the basic raw material needed to manufacture it. Now a day, due to the lack of all
basic raw materials the price is increasing gradually. To meet the demand and to reduce the increase in
price, recycling of mobile phones is necessary. Recycling may also help to save the precious elements
from the circuit board. Throwing away a mobile phone will also harm the environment by releasing the
toxic waste in it. It will play a wide role in increasing the global warming problem.
The responsibility lies in the hands of the user. Instead of keeping the unused mobile phones in the
drawer or cupboard we can contribute by giving them to the recyclers. A recent survey by a well
developed company says that only 3% of people contribute by giving their mobile phones for recycling.
Awareness should be created among the peoples to tell the importance of recycling the mobile phones.
Tons and tons of cell phones are discarded without recycling, this lead a way towards the destruction of
the earth.
The circuit boards and charges contain many toxic materials like lead, cadmium, antimony and mercury.
They pollute the water when thrown away without recycling. There are also some precious metals like
gold, platinum and silver. Gold is more valuable among them. Copper is also recycled from them for the
reuse. Copper is cheap among this but much useful. Mobile phones can be recycled to get the useful
parts from them. By taking useful part from each mobile phone one can get a complete mobile phone
which is in good condition.
One of the most important uses of recycling is to reduce globalization by reducing the emission of green
house gas in the atmosphere. About 80% of any mobile phones can be recycled. Recycling mobile
phones reduce the amount of raw materials taken from the earth to manufacture new ones. The
recycled materials are also used to make park benches, saxophones, and kettle and so on… there is no
need of any fear that our contacts will be lost. Once you decided to give your phone for recycling save
your contacts and any other important messages in computer or any other storage devices.
Instead of keeping them unused we can give them for recycling, to meet the demand of raw materials
needed to manufacture the new one. Save earth from globalization and save the nation from recession.
Think of new ideas; recycle the unused mobile phones, save energy.
Support each other and make a change.
Importance of recycling mobile phones:
Every journey needs a start. Now let us keep our first step to the journey of recycling mobile phones.
Here comes the need of recycling the unused mobile phones. The unused mobile phones are recycled to
get the important parts from them. They threaten the human health and the environment. Instead of
putting the unused mobile phones in the dustbin they can be given for recycling. When thrown in the
lands they explode their toxic materials. Therefore they pollute the environment. Awareness should be
created among peoples regarding the recycling of mobile phones. This can be created among the people
by conducting mobile phone recycling program in the workplace and in your community.
The impact of the mobile phones on human health and the environment is very cruel. The toxic
materials released from the mobile phones in the landfills may contaminate the soil and the
underground water. All unused mobile phones are sent to the EPA-certified partners, they recycle them
without causing any harm to the environment. One good way to improve the recycling of mobile phones
by people is: Every country’s government should put a strict order that unused mobile phones or any of
their accessories should not be dumped in dustbins.
The most important and interesting fact of mobile phones is: there is a small amount gold in the circuit
board. Removing the gold in them by one’s own effort is dangerous. They can be handed over to the
recycling companies and they will pay you in turn. Apart from gold certain other toxic materials like
arsenic, lead, cadmium, polyvinyl chloride, and chromium are present in the circuit board. People can be
encouraged by setting a recycling campaign in their locality to collect the unused phones and paid in
turn for that. Mobile phones that are too damaged can be sent for recycling and those in good condition
can be used to take their useful parts.
Mobile phones with minor damage are refurbished and resold. Unused mobile phones can be sent to
the recycling companies in their postage paid envelope. Recycling million unused mobile phones is equal
to reducing the emission of green house gas by 33 cars for a year. Due to the discovery of new model of
phones every day the old ones are becoming unused. So recycling of the old unused mobile phones will
pave a way to reduce the green house gas and protect the environment. Mobile phones are the leading
source of communication in our society. Many of us rely on the mobile phones for communication and
replace them with newer and better models.
Electronic devices like mobile phones thrown in trash end up buried in landfills or burned at waste-to-
energy facilities. So the better options are reusing and recycling.
Necessity of recycling cell phones:
In the past decades mobile phones has become one of the leading sources of communications. We
should recycle them when they are kept unused. The massive number of mobile phones and various
mobile devices now in circulation are presenting a growing concern to the environment. Wireless
phones generally contain 40% plastics, 40% metal and 20% ceramics. Among the metals there are some
toxic metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium and others. All these elements harm the atmosphere by
releasing the toxics in them. There are many reasons and opportunities to recycle a mobile phone and
only a few people do it. We can help the atmosphere and people who are atrocious in having a mobile
phone of their own.
The life cycle of a mobile phone is: it’s manufactured by using the raw materials, sold, then used by an
owner and then thrown away. The problem lies in throwing the mobile phones away. Some users
through them in waste box and some give it for recycling. Only 3% of the entire world population gives
them for recycling. The thrown away mobile phones end up in ignition and landfills. The one given for
recycling by the owners are reused or refurbished. From this the useful components and raw materials
are recovered. The recovered raw materials reduce the need for new mines to manufacture new mobile
phones.
The refurbished raw materials are given to charity or sold. The discarded mobile phones account for
65,000 tons of toxic material every year. The electronic devices like the mobile phones leach out many
hazardous substances in the soil which in turn pollute the underground water. They not only pollute the
soil and water but also pollute the air when burned in incinerators. So people are advised to hand over
the unused mobile phones to the recyclers, such that they discard them in a healthy method.
Many of the toxic substances like – arsenic, cadmium, poly vinyl chloride, lead, nickel, beryllium and zinc
belong to the class of persistent toxins which stay behind the environment and do not break. The metals
like lead and cadmium, likely to accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals, build up in the food
chain, which is dangerous when released in small amount. Most of the toxic elements lie in the printed
board and the liquid-crystal- display. They show their impact on the health of humans. They cause
cancer and affect small children health.
The impact of lead is more when compared to other elements. Lead is considered as a problematic
material throughout the world. The lead is used in soldering the components in the circuit board. This
creates cancer, abnormalities by affecting the central nervous system, immune system and kidneys too.
Therefore recycling them in a proper way is necessary to prevent its ill-effects.
Cash out of unused mobile phones:
Disposal of electronic devices like mobile phones are becoming a larger problem every day. In this
wireless technological world, electronic devices like mobile phones are considered as a problematic
component, as they have a large amount of hazardous metal in them. The circuit board of the mobile
phones has metals like cadmium, arsenic, lead, beryllium, copper, zinc and nickel. All these chemicals
belong to the persistent toxins. They are very harmful, Such that they build up in the food chain and do
not break. These persistent bio-accumulative toxins create many problems like reproductive,
neurological and development disorder. Most of the toxins in the mobile phones are in printed wires
and in the liquid-crystal display.
One of the most important hazardous metals in mobile phones is lead. This creates kidney problem,
affect the nervous system and immunity system too. Another important hazardous constituent is
brominated flame retardant, to reduce the risk of fire. This retardant are in the printed wiring boards,
cables and the protective plastic housing around them. Research indicates that some flame retardant is
bio-accumulative, Persistent and toxic. There are two types of flame retardants poly-brominated
biphenyl and poly-brominated diphenyl. These flame retardants also have their impact on the endocrine
and immune system.
Apart from this the rechargeable batteries also contain number of highly toxic substances. In early mid
1990’s nickel-cadmium batteries are used. This causes human carcinogen, damage lung, liver and kidney.
These also show their impact on wildlife. Because of the toxicity in cadmium, nickel-cadmium batteries
are banned. Lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride batteries are increasingly replacing the nickel-
cadmium batteries. Many campaigns should be conducted around our locality to create awareness
about the need and necessity of recycling the mobile phones, and environment benefits from them.
Donating a mobile phone also benefits our community. If they are in good condition they are sold in
discounts and the funds are given to schools, churches and charitable trust. Because of recycling the
toxic waste are prevented from entering the atmosphere and damaging them. Focus all your attention in
recycling them in a charitable manner, which shows your care. It’s a great way to dispose the unused
mobile phones for cash. The benefit of recycling is getting cash for old phones and becoming
environment friendly.
Recycling mobile phones help the environment by saving energy and keeping useable materials out of
landfills and incinerators. Mobile phones are made of all precious metals like gold, copper all of which
require large amount of energy to manufacturing and mining. Recycling these not only conserve
resources but also prevent air and water pollution, and emission of green house gas in the atmosphere.
Start donating phones for recycling and face a world with difference tomorrow.
Reuse of unused mobile phones:
Increasing government regulation coupled with force to reduce the environmental defects from unused
mobile phones is not really a bad thing. Hazardous materials are banned throughout our society.
Hazardous waste management is often considered as a complicated process; still the producers and
other well developed organization take the responsibility for the recycling. Mobile phone sectors are
one of the fastest growing industries in the world. According to a survey the life of a mobile phone is
only 18 months with the arrival of a new model in the market. This leads to the junk storage of old
phones in their drawer. To minimize the volume of bulk amount of mobile phones ending up in landfills,
recycling of them is mandatory.
Typical disposal of the unused mobile phones or their accessories result in one of the following
alternatives:
- Reuse
- Product upgrade
- Material recovery
- Waste disposal.
Reusing deals with the reselling or reusing the products. Product upgrade is to repair, remanufacture,
refurbish and repackage. Material recovery is recycling and reduction in sales volume. Waste disposal
includes incineration or land filling the waste products.
Mobile phones have a number of components which have a clear ability to remanufacture them.
Integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, gold-coated edge contacts on the circuit boards, microphones,
the protective housing around them and keyboards can be recovered and reused. Recycling companies
promises that their recycling will be environment friendly with nothing going into the landfills.
Consumers who are willing to get a new model can hand over their old phones to the retailers for
recycling instead of keeping them in their drawer. There are a lot of persistent bio-accumulative toxins
in the circuit board of the mobile phones. Once when they are thrown in the lands without giving for
recycling, they pollute the soil and the underground water. The most important hazardous metal in the
circuit board of the mobile phones are the lead. When they are thrown in the land they pollute the
drinking water, this causes kidney problem, affect the immune and nervous system too.
Lead is threatening more when compared to other metals in the circuit board. The interesting fact is
that, gold in the circuit board can be recovered and used. Recovering them by one’s own effort is
dangerous. So donate them to the recyclers and be paid. Recycling them not only conserve energy and
environment, but also reduce the basic raw materials required to manufacture a new one. They also
reduce the air and water pollution too. Focus all your attention in recycling them in a charitable way,
such that a community benefit from it. Recycling of mobile phones can become successful when people
donate their old phones for recycling. Donate a mobile phone for recycling and become eco-friendly.
Why You need to recycle mobile phones?
Today along with plastic, nuclear and chemical waste mankind is facing problem with e-waste. The main
culprit of the e-waste is the mobile phones. Now the need of the time is recycling of the mobile phones.
E-waste can be combined with computers and other electronic devices, but mobile phones are giving a
strong competition among them. Every landfills and city dumps are filled with mobile phones that carry
deadly hazardous materials like chromium, lead and nickel. They are capable of causing serious damage
to our environment and underground water. Many people throw their mobile phones away after they
become old and damaged. This is because they are not aware of the recycling of mobile phones.
As far as recycling is concerned, a survey reveals only below 3% of the world population gives their
mobile phones for recycling. The long lists of buyers get richer when compared to the list of donors for
recycling. Recycling simply means extracting the materials from the mobile phones and brings them to
use again instead of leaving them as hazardous waste material. Many people are unaware that the
copper in the mobile phones and chargers are recyclable. The growing value of copper in market is
making it a valuable one.
One ton of old mobile phone devices can yield up to 100 kilogram of copper which is more than from its
own ore. The scope of recycling mobile phones is necessary due to the lack of its resources. Today
mobile users are increasing rapidly due to its newer models. Recycling copper reduces the impact of
mining copper and keeps the cost of it in a set level. Mobile phones are made from all valuable
materials; these require energy and natural resources to extract them. Mobile phone recycling also
reduces the emission of green house gas in the atmosphere.
Lead is one of the most threatening chemical in the circuit boards of mobile phones. It is considered as a
problematic metal throughout the world. Lead is used in the circuit boards for soldering. These create
cancer, abnormalities by affecting the central nervous system and immune system and affect the
kidneys too. They can be disposed properly when given to the recyclers. Instead of keeping our mobile
phones unused in drawer, we can give them for recycling and save the basic raw materials needed to
manufacture them. The housing around the mobile phones can be used to make park decks; saxophones
and so on... focus all your attention in recycling them in a charitable way. So say bye to pollution and
environmental impacts created by mobile phones. Let’s all join our hands together and give way to
recycling of mobile phones and save energy and the environment.
Recycling makes sense.
Mobile Phone Recycling: How it Works?
Mobile phones have evolved more from an ‘object of desire’’ to the ‘object that rapidly expire’ on
account of newer models that influx in the market every progressing second. Everyone is in the race of
upgrading their mobile phones as soon as something better and hi-tech enters the market. So what
really happens to the old mobile phones? They just contribute to unattended trash that eventually fills
up local municipal landfills. In the 21st century we have seen mobile phones evolve so drastically and it
still doesn’t stop to be rejuvenated with advanced technologies that the older mobile phones look like
antique pieces. Besides it is not just the mobile phones that go into trash but also the charger that
comes along with it. Mobile phone recycling is thus a concept that has recently developed in order to
save energy and money spent on recreating completely new mobile phone parts.
Recycling mobile phones is an incredibly feasible solution to reduce landfills as well as reduce the
immense amount of energy spent and the huge amount of toxic substances released in the process of
strip mining certain precious materials that form internal parts of the phone. Your mobile phone is
bound to have traces of precious metals like Gold, Silver and Platinum. The gold is used in the circuit
board and did you know that 79 tons of toxic waste is released when 1 ounce of gold is strip mined?
Apart from these precious metals, there are other materials that are unfavorable to the environment
that cause pollution eventually, integrated into the mobile phone parts such as mercury, cadmium and
lead. These end up in the landfills that eventually mix with the soil and may even pollute your drinking
water resources and food resources. Mobile phone charges contain considerable amounts of copper
which again is a metal that is extracted with a lot of energy spent in the process.
Thus the only solution to play your part in restoring the balance in the environment and save the earth
from speedy depletion of natural resources is by selling your mobile phones to organizations that deal
with mobile phone recycling. When you sell mobile phones to get recycled you not only receive cash for
mobiles but also contribute to reduced energy consumption and avoid unnecessary landfill
accumulation. Recycling just one mobile phone can make a huge difference in the amount of energy
saved therein. People must be educated on the benefits of mobile phone recycling and if you know
somebody that is unaware of all this it is your duty to educate them towards mobile phone recycling by
selling their mobile phones to the appropriate recycling centers.
The author of this article owns a website where you can compare all UK mobile phone recycling
companies to get the best cash value when mobile phone recycling.