Recycle Your Old Cell Phones
Recycle Your Old Cell Phones. Do you have an old cell phone that you no longer use? Please recycle it.
"Electronic devices, such as our cellphones and tablets, have become staples in our everyday routines. Because of our constant usage and several releases throughout each year, these devices are often replaced regularly before their useful life ends. Yearly releases of new devices mean that more and more phones flood the market – and in turn more e-waste floods our environment."
According to ECOATM, "improper disposal of electronic devices or leaving functional electronics idle in drawers can cause negative impacts on our environment and health." These risks include:
Toxic materials: Our smartphones contain toxic materials such as mercury, lead, beryllium, arsenic and cadmium. If improperly disposed of, these toxins can leak into our natural environment and have harmful effects on everything that grows from it. In fact, a recent study from toxics link reported soil and water contamination as a result of improper recycling activities.
Increased e-waste: By choosing to let our old devices lay idle at home, we’re unknowingly contributing to a major problem for our planet and generations to come. E-waste is the fastest growing municipal waste stream in America and less than 20 percent of unwanted cell phones are recycled each year.
Contaminated food chain: The materials in our phones can adversely affect our entire food chain. Heavy metals released by incineration can accumulate in the food chain (especially in fish) due to the increase of metals from crops and a contaminated food chain.
Lost precious metals: A mobile phone can contain over 40 elements including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Metals represent about 23% of the weight of the phone with the remaining 77% being plastics and ceramic materials. By neglecting to properly dispose of our used devices, we create the need for more mining of previous metals and resources.
Help save the animals. Coltan, an ore that provides essential components for cell phones and other electronics, is primarily mined in critical habitats for gorillas and chimpanzees. By recycling old cell phones, we can reduce the need for mining in areas where gorillas and chimpanzees live. It will help to protect critical habitat as well as keep toxic chemicals out of our landfills.
Drop off your old cell phone to the box located in the entrance foyer of the Liberty Senior Center located at 3525 Resource Drive, Randallstown, MD 21133 . For more information, please contact:
Rachael Driscoll
Pronouns: She/Her (What’s this?)
Assistant Director
Liberty Senior Center
3525 Resource Drive, Randallstown, MD 21133
410 887 0780 Fax: 410 887 0615
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