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Cell Phone Recycling Facts
- According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association (CWTA), 15,173,634 Canadians in 2005 subscribed to a cell phone service. A 73% increase from 2000.
- According to INFORM. Inc. cell phones are replaced every 18 months on average; and less than 5% are recycled. That leaves 14 million cell phones that could potentially enter the waste stream every 18 months.
- Canada’s National Office of Pollution Prevention of Environment Canada reports that next year 4,328 tons of telephone, fax machines and cell phones will end up in landfills. That’s equivalent to the weight of 583 African elephants. (1 elephant = 7.4 tons)
- In North America, INFORM Inc. estimates that more than 500 million cell phones, weighing over 250,000 tons, are lying idle and could potentially enter our waste stream
- Experts estimate that 50 to 80 percent of e-waste from North American cell phone companies ends up in China, Thailand, India and Pakistan. Workers are exposed to many toxins and are paid up to $1.50 a day to break apart and process the phones. (“Exporting Harm”, Basel Action Network)
- Cell phones include a large number of hazardous substances, which can pollute the air when burned in incinerators and leach into soil and drinking water when buried in landfills.
- Toxic substances include, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc
- Toxic substances, known as persistent toxins, linger in our environment for long periods of time without breaking down. Persistent toxins have been associated with cancer and a range of reproductive, neurological, and development disorders.
- Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), found in the plastics of cell phones, have been associated with cancer and disruption of the immune and endocrine systems.
- The rechargeable batteries that power cell phones also contain a number of highly toxic substances.
- Cadmium is a probable human carcinogen that can cause lung, liver, and kidney damage and is toxic to wildlife.
- Lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride batteries contain cobalt, zinc, and copper, all heavy metals that can be toxic to plants, wildlife and human beings.
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