30 November 2013| last updated at 11:00PM
THE year-end holiday and shopping season is also gift-giving time. These are often replacements or upgrades to our electronic gadgets. So, what should we do with our old hand phones and other electronics collecting dust in our drawers? If it still works, pass it to someone who can use it. If not, then recycle. But do you see many recycling bins around?
In my experience, they seem to be hidden in out-of-the-way care centres. While mobile phone companies and telcos in the country do have recycling programmes, I noticed that their bins are not commonplace or the programme is for a limited time only.
In Malaysia, Nokia collects used phones and sends them to a recycling plant in Penang. According to Francis Cheong, senior manager for regional sustainability at Nokia Asia-Pacific: "All phones and accessories sent to our vendor facilities in Penang are recycled with almost 100 per cent of the materials recovered for re-use in other products. None are resold as second hand products."
The plastic casings are segregated at their vendor facilities and then forwarded to a local plastic recycler, which then converts them to plastic pallets ready to be used again in many other products. After removing certain elements, the LCDs are disposed of as "scheduled wastes" to Kualiti Alam for final treatment and disposal.
SIM cards, which contain precious metals, are recycled and base materials recovered together with all printed circuit boards. The precious metals are extracted and then sold to various industries for re-use. For example, gold is sold to jewellers or banks.
All parts of the phones are recycled at the Penang facility except for the batteries which are sent to an e-waste recycling plant in Singapore for recovery of the lithium and cobalt salts. This plant has the only patented lithium ion battery recycling system using hydro technology in this part of the world.
Almost 97 per cent of a hand phone can be recycled for plastic, ferrous metals and lithium among other things. Only its LCD screen is non-recyclable because of its heavy metals content. Find out more about a hand phone's afterlife at http://asia.cnet.com/a-mobile-phones-afterlife-62059584.htm. Recycling used electronics means that they won't end up in landfills.
While old phones and computers can be dismantled to extract the useful metals inside, doing it safely is time-consuming. That's why a lot of e-waste from the United States is exported to Guiyu, China (http://content.time.com/ time/magazine/article/ 0,9171,1870485,00.html) -- a recycling hub where peasants heat circuit boards over coal fires to recover lead, while others use acid to burn off bits of gold. Guiyu also has the highest level of cancer-causing dioxins in the world and elevated rates of miscarriages according to reports from nearby Shantou University.
As consumers, we would be wise to think about what happens to the electronic device we discard before we even consider buying a new one.
So, how do you ensure that your old phone doesn't end up poisoning a kid in China? If it's still in good working condition, hand it down or resell it on the second-hand market. If it's broken, don't put it in the garbage. Find out if your retailer or manufacturer offers free recycling.
Recycling e-waste is vital not only for the environment but for the manufacturing industry as well. It prevents e-waste from ending up in landfills and contaminating the environment with toxic and heavy metals. Recycling also helps reduce the need to create or mine raw materials for new products, which reduces manufacturing costs.
For manufacturers, to pitch electronic products as green or complying with the law isn't enough. Neither is following regulations such as restricting lead and cadmium. Removing all or most substances of high concern rather than a few prohibited ones is. These include chemicals that are potentially harmful to human health or the environment.
It would be ideal if recycle bins for phones are as commonplace as hand phone shops. Even better if manufacturers and telcos offer year-round recycling, take back or trade-up programmes in high traffic areas. Focusing on planned longevity -- rather than planned obsolescence -- of the device will minimise its energy impact. This is the kind of sustainable design we want to see more of.
Rather than shopping for something hot off the manufacturing line this holidays, don't upgrade your old phone (or computer or TV) for a little while longer. It may not be in the generous holiday spirit, but it certainly fits the new e-green one. Our children will thank us for this when they live in a future free from overflowing landfills and incinerators.
Read more: Discard your phones the e-green way - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/discard-your-phones-the-e-green-way-1.416430#ixzz2tZF7d9De
No comments:
Post a Comment