Consumers Are Reluctant to Recycle Old Phones, Here’s Why That’s Bad for the Environment

We’ve all been guilty of holding onto an old phone long after it broke down. People usually do this because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up helping them hold onto the nostalgia value of the device. In spite of the fact that this is the case, failing to recycle old phones is quite detrimental to the environment. Studies have shown that e-waste will be a huge problem if steps aren’t taken to reduce it immediately.

A survey from Samsung shed some light on this issue, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 72% of respondents said that they choose not to recycle old devices. That is despite 50% of them agreeing that e-waste is a big issue, so there is clearly a hurdle here that is making it less likely that consumers will take the necessary steps to prevent this future problem than might have been the case otherwise.

36% of consumers who responded to this survey stated that they tend to keep old devices stowed away in their homes with all things having been considered and taken into account. Many consumers said that they have a dedicated drawer that can house all of their e-junk, and if this waste was recycled it might help to stem the issues that can originate from e-waste.

Samsung made some recommendations in this survey such as informing users about the over 1,700 locations in the US alone where they can go to have their old phones recycled. Some users might be hesitant to part ways with a device out of fear that their data might get leaked, and if that’s the case they can also repurpose the devices by following the tips that Samsung has outlined in this survey.

The problem of e-waste is getting ever more apparent, and until consumers and major manufacturers come to an understanding, the issue will likely get worse before it gets better. E-waste reduction is a top concern for most environmental scientists.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World