Cell phones are potentially hazardous waste because they contain lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. If thrown in the trash and sent to incinerators or landfills, environmental contamination can occur from combustion and leaching into soil and groundwater.
Sadly, less than 2% of old cell phones are being recycled today.
There are more than 500 million used cell phones in the U.S. sitting in people's drawers or in our landfills, and The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that cell phones will be thrown away at a rate of 130 million a year by 2005 that equals 65,000 tons of waste containing toxic metals!
Many of the materials found in cell phones are also on the EPA's list of persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs). Because PBTs accumulate in fatty tissue of humans and animals, the toxins are gradually concentrated, putting those at the top of the food chain at the greatest risk, especially children. According to the EPA, "PBTs are associated with a range of adverse human health effects, including damage to the nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, cancer and genetic impacts."
It is incumbent upon each of us to recycle our cell phones.
There are a number of organizations that recycle cell phones. Cell phones and accessories received in working order can be recycled back into reuse, the highest form of recycling. If the cell phone is broken, but has useful parts, it is possible to create working phones from the scraps. These affordable refurbished cell phones help bridge the digital divide and improve the quality of life for people in the developing world who purchase them.
Even if the overall phone is not in a functional condition, batteries, chargers, and accessories are reused. Before recycling, it is important to ask fo information on how the hazardous waste is processed.
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