The environment impact caused by mobile phones is of unimaginable magnitude. Out of over 7.5 billion world population, at least 60% use smart phones. This means over 4 billion people phones are currently in use. On an average people upgrade their phone every 2 years which accounts for the whopping 1 billion phones that end up in landfills every year.

Phones are composed of materials like glass, metal and plastic. To improve the user experience chemical compounds like silicon dioxide, aluminium dioxide and metals like gold, silver, tungsten, copper etc are used. A large amount of natural resources is depleted in the process of making phones with an average phone responsible for 55kg carbon emissions.

How are popular phone companies helping in curbing the environmental impact?

Companies have come up with buy back deals to reduce the number of phones disposed. Apple for instance has designed a robot, Daisy that disassembles about 1.2 million iphones every year. The number however pales in comparison to the 217 million phones produced every year. As a consumer it is our responsibility to reduce the environmental damage too.

How can we reduce the environmental impact?

Purchase refurbished phones: Instead of upgrading your phone to a brand new one consider purchasing a refurbished one. Refurbished ones may have few dents but are in good working condition. If you are looking for refurbished phones in the UK, check The Big Phone Store. They feature almost all brands and run a thorough testing before listing each of the phones.

Buy used phones: Buy used phones to reduce the electronic wastage. There are several online portals featuring second-hand phones in good condition. This is a better option to buying a new phone and also lets you save money.

Sell your old phone: It makes sense to dispose phones that are damaged beyond repair but if your phone is in a decent working condition, you can sell your phone. The buyer may fix it up and use it for one more year. You’ll also earn some money depending on your phone’s condition.

Opt for recycling: Opt for responsible recycling of your old phone instead of tossing them improperly. There are charities and companies which collect used phones for recycling. 

Avoid buying phones that comes with a contract: There are mobile companies that sell certain phones on a contract basis after which you’ll have to upgrade your phone to the latest version. 

Using used/ refurbished phones and selling old ones creates a circular economy. It expands a product’s lifespan by a few years and reduces the number of phones being used every year. Gradually the phone wastage reduces. When opting for recycling, there is phenomenal energy savings using. The energy savings from recycling phones can power quarter of a million homes.

Make a difference to our environment y opting for refurbished and used phones. Resorting to such measures will urge phone manufacturers to look for more environment-friendly methods to manufacture smart phones. This way, the overall carbon footprint caused by production and disposal of smart phones come down.