A new study has suggested that, despite over 50% of people saying sustainability is important when it comes to electronics, most don’t recycle their devices when they replace them.
The US-based study was conducted by ARRIS – a global manufacturing technology company. One of the key findings was that most American consumers hold onto their old devices.
In fact, 20% of the participants in the study said that they had four or more broken or unused cell phones at home. Another 45% said they had one of two computers, and 20% said they had at least one tablet at home that didn’t work or that they didn’t use.
Another finding of the study was that most consumers do want to recycle their electronics and that the most common reason for not doing so was that it’s too difficult.
Of those that took part in the study, 45% said they had never recycled electronics, and 56% said that they didn’t make the effort because recycling electronics is hard. Furthermore, almost 20% admitted to throwing an electronic item in the garbage, rather than recycling it properly.
What are the laws for disposing of cell phones?
Cell phones and other electronics contain hazardous substances such as arsenic and lead/ This means that it’s important they are disposed of correctly and not mixed with household waste.
The laws for disposing of electronics vary. In the US, 25 states follow one of two models. The first model gives the manufacturer an extended responsibility to collect and recycle products, and they are required to do this by law.
The second model requires the consumer to pay a recycling fee when they purchase the device, which is usually between $6 and $10. This is used to pay an approved collector and recycler.
Additionally, many companies offer their own recycling services. You can find these by searching for “mobile phone companies that have recycling programs” on an online search.