![]()
Americans like their cell phones but we are a fickle group. Although certainly some phones stop to function, many of us simply want the latest and greatest. The average person uses a cell phone approximately 18 months before replacing it. With 200 million plus users in the US alone, this presents an issue as far as disposal. It is currently estimated that there are 500 million cell phones sitting on shelves or in landfills in this country with an additional 2 million phones being added to this total weekly. The EPA has designated mobile phones as hazardous waste due to their lead, mercury, cadium, and arsenic content. Thus, we are faced with the environmental/health issues that arise as well as the economic impact of wasted resources.
So, what are we to do when the time comes to part with a beloved cell phone? There are of course numerous options when…