Recycling our mobile handsets
Do the business corporations and individuals who are benefiting from
the
booming telecom business, have a responsibility to make sure that the
by-products are recycled? Who oversees them? Or who should be
overseeing
them? None?
Our nation is busy with fighting corruption, catching all the big
fishes
and reform. And also, the politics about the lack of politics. Or
better
said, the politics about the lack right to take other people's right
to work, right to transportation and right to live. They have also
much
more important things – like whether a funny cartoon should hurt our
feeling, whether the editor is actually a dalal, or whether party of
Go.A. should be banned by the EC even though they had a chance to do
that. Most interestingly, Menon also thinks that EC is being used by
the
CTG!! Menon? So funny.
Our genius (!) older generation, at least, many of them are busy with
forecasting what may happen unless there is democracy. If we could
just
tell them to shut up, we would. But that would not be advisable,
because
we, the young, would become `beyadop', then.
So, lets talk about something else today. Rather, lets talk about
some
other danger in the making in Bangladesh – as we speak. They –
the authority – the government – the older ones in general –
would not notice it until it becomes a crisis. So, lets try informing
them. We ourselves should also be informed. There is a possibility
for
money to be made – if you are entrepreneurial.
Our policymakers are very happy with the telecom industry in
Bangladesh.
So, they are giving all the licenses they can give – to the local as
well as foreign companies. People are buying the handsets, too. How
many
of them are sold every year? How many of them are recycled? What will
happen when millions of users start changing their handsets, one in
every other year?
Nobody will notice until these handsets start blocking the sewerage
system – just like it was the case with polithyne bags.
So, let us read through the following cut&paste materials and see,
if we
can do something about it. As we mentioned earlier, there are
opportunity to make money – if you are really entrepreneurial.
If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time,
please
forward it to others. If you have an ear to the journalists and news
editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they
would
look at the suggestions and give due diligence.
Thanks for your time,
Innovation Line
=====================================================================
===\
==========================
Note: This is a freelance column, published mainly in different
internet
based forums. This column is open for contribution by the members of
new
generation, sometimes referred to as Gen 71. If you identify
yourself as
someone from that age-group and want to contribute to this column,
please feel free to contact. Thanks to the group moderator for
publishing the article.
We have not seen the Liberation War, but we know if we can free the
country from corruption first, we will eventually get to other dreams
soon. Because of corruption, we could not even get into information
highway for years, let alone other dreams!
This is the kind of article for which we started this column.
Because of
ongoing mess, a gift from our older generation, we often get
diverted.
Now that it seems some sanity is returning in Bangladesh, we would
try
to go back to our original plan.
=====================================================================
===\
==================
http://www.envocare.co.uk/mobile_phones.htm
<http://www.envocare.co.uk/mobile_phones.htm>
Mobile Phone Recycling
According to David Adam in the Guardian (8 Jan 2005), users on
average
replace mobiles every 18 months; 15 million are discarded in the UK
each
year but only 4% are recycled, isn't that staggering? They are a
hazard
if discarded and if they are recycled they can be put to very good
use.
Currently, it is estimated that there are about 45 million phone
users
in the UK (Ref: the Mobile Takeback Web site, Nov 2004), with 1.25
billion mobile phone users world-wide (Ref: Eurosource Europe, Nov
2004)
and this number is steadily rising. Eurosource Europe also state
that 58
million replacement mobiles are bought each year in Europe, with
approximately 85 million unused phones lying around in people's
homes.
So, millions of old phones could potentially be recycled annually,
although it is estimated that fewer than 5% are.
To comply with the WEEE directive, originally it was decided that all
companies would have to ensure that all mobile phones were recycled,
by
August 2005. In the UK plans were delayed and full WEEE compliance by
producers was delayed until July 2007. The detailed terms are more
complicated than this, however, and interested parties (producers and
suppliers especially) should look to the ICER site. To link to ICER
click here. <http://www.icer.org.uk/legislation.htm>
A number of valuable materials are used in the construction of mobile
phones, and they contain components which, if carefully removed, can
be
used again, for example in electronic devices.
Perhaps more importantly, some cell phones and their accessories
contain
substances that are amongst the 10 most dangerous known to man
including
Cadmium, Rhodium, Palladium, Beryllium and Lead Solder (Ref: Cellular
Reclamation Ltd, Nov 2004) and most of this ends up in a land fill
site
or the sea. This is because, at least until recently, there was no
easy
and safe way that you could dispose of your old mobiles, so they were
just thrown in the bin. Now with so many convenient mobile phone
recycling schemes around, there's no need for this - and no excuse
for
not recycling your old phone.
The content of mobile phones varies from model to model, and as the
technology advances there will be changes in the composition.
Previously
published data (Ref: BT Cellnet and Mobile Takeback sites, Sept 2001)
state that a reasonable average (weight percent) is:
ABS-PC 29%
Ceramics 16%
Cu and compounds 15%
Silicon Plastics 10%
Epoxy 9%
Other Plastics 8%
Iron 3%
PPS 2%
Flame retardant 1%
Nickel and compounds 1%
Zinc and compounds 1%
Silver and compounds 1%
Al, Sn, Pb, Au, Pd, Mn, etc. less than 1%
Ni-Cd batteries contain Cadmium, a dangerous toxic and carcinogenic
substance; mobiles also contain arsenic, mercury and other dangerous
toxic substances. The quantity in landfill sites is significant, and
considerable toxic contamination is caused by the inevitable medium
and
long-term effects of these substances leaking into the surrounding
soil.
Many schemes, including some of those referenced above, recover and
reuse various parts from the phones and their accessories. These can
be
sent for separate metals recovery (including precious and
semiprecious
metals); this involves grinding down the parts to isolate metals
components for recycling. Useful metal content can also be extracted
from phone batteries and recycled. Plastic elements of phones can be
recovered through energy-from-incineration; some plastics recovered
from
the outer body of recycled telephones can be granulated and
reformulated
and can be reused in mouldings such as car wheel trims and printer
cassettes. Recovery and downgrading of valuable components, such as
flash memory devices can be achieved. Useful parts include aerials,
battery connectors, PCBs (printed circuit boards) , connectors
including
gold-coated edge contacts on PCBs, ICs (integrated circuits),
keyboards,
LCD screens, lenses, microphones, phone housings, screws, SIM card
assemblies and speakers.
Over the years, however, another end-of-life option has emerged and
is
gaining popularity. It has become more common for companies to
refurbish
old mobiles and sell or pass these on to developing countries
including
eastern European countries and parts of Africa.
Many schemes set up for recycling and safe disposal of mobile phones,
most of which seem to be national, are listed on the envocare site.
Most
are free to you, many aid charities and some can earn you cash. The
schemes typically catalogue the phones, including the IMEI
identification number. SIM cards are checked and any found
`live' are (or should be) reported back. All the equipment
should be recycled in accordance with the terms of current and draft
EU
legislation. You should be issued with an inventory and Duty of Care
Transfer Certificate that transfers the responsibility for safe
disposal
to the scheme. The batteries should be processed by a specialist
reprocessing plant to extract the metals.
Further information on related topics will be found elsewhere on this
site, for example look for Waste from Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE: click here
<http://www.envocare.co.uk/waste_from_electrical_&_electronic_equipme
nt.\
htm> ), Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS:
click
here <http://www.envocare.co.uk/rohs.htm> ), Batteries (click here
<http://www.envocare.co.uk/batteries.htm> ), Plastics (click here
<http://www.envocare.co.uk/plastics.htm> ) and Duty of Care.
http://www.recyclenow.com/what_more_can_i_do/can_it_be_recycled/mobil
e_p\
hones.html How/what happens when they are recycled
Most schemes recover and re-use various parts from phones and their
accessories.
Parts recovery may include:
* Separate metals recovery (including precious and semiprecious
metals): The mobile parts are ground up and useful metal content
extracted. Metal can be extracted from batteries too.
* Plastic recovery: energy-from-incineration is used to recover
plastic from components. Outer body plastic may be granulated and
reformulated for use in mouldings.
* Recovery and downgrading of valuable components: e.g. flash
memory
devices.
* Re-use of parts: Useful parts include aerials, battery
connectors,
PCBs (printed circuit boards), connectors including gold-coated edge
contacts on PCBs, ICs (integrated circuits), keyboards, LCD screens,
lenses, microphones, phone housings, screws, SIM card assemblies and
speakers.
Many manufacturers have signed up to the Basel Convention agreeing to
cooperate with developing environmentally sound management to
end-of-life mobile phones.
http://www.connect-tech.co.jp/english/newsrelease/20051125_55.htm
Notification on "Connect Repro Corporation," a joint corporation to
engage in the recycling of mobile phones
November 25, 2005
At a board meeting of November 25, 2005, the directors of Connect
Technologies Corporation resolved to establish "Connect Repro
Corporation" (Connect Repro), a joint venture company specialized in
the
recycling of mobile phones. The new company is to be co-owned by
International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd. (IMES;
Head
Office: 3, Kirihara-cho, Fujisawa, Kanagawa; Representative: Masahiko
Egashira, President and CEO).
Connect Repro will draw from the combined expertise of Connect
Technologies, a system developer for mobile phones, and IMES, a
specialist in liquid crystal technology, to offer original mobile
phone
terminal recycling/reuse services. The new corporation is expected to
become a leader in the mobile product recycling business.
The new subsidiary will be entered into the consolidated accounts of
Connect Technologies from the first quarter of this fiscal year.
Connect
Technologies is now estimating how the subsidiary will impact its
consolidated business performance. We will notify users of further
forecasts and results when they are confirmed.
Background
More than 50 million mobile phones now ship annually in the Japanese
market. The system for recycling the older models returned during
replacement purchases is roughly divided into two businesses: the
collection agency business and material extraction business. Neither
makes provisions for the reuse of parts for the commercialization of
new
or refurbished devices. Connect Repro will be the first specialized
company with both the recycling know-how to permit reuse and the
technical know-how to permit the commercialization of partly
refurbished
mobile products.
The new company is to be established as a specialist recycler backed
by
the recycling know-how of IMES and the mobile phone expertise of
Connect
Technologies.
Outline of subsidiary
Trade name: Connect Repro Corporation
Representative: Tetsuya Kaku, President and CEO
Address: Davinci Shinjuku Bldg. 6F, 4-3-17, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo
Date of establishment: Late November, 2005
Major line of business: Sale of reused mobile phones parts and the
planning, development, production, and sale of products containing
reused parts
Settlement term: Term ending in August
Capital: 98,000,000 yen
Number of shares issued: 1,960
Major shareholders and their shareholding ratios: Connect
Technologies
51%, IMES 49%
Outline of IMES
Trade name: International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co.,
Ltd.
Representative: Masahiko Egashira, President and CEO
Address: 3, Kirihara-cho, Fujisawa, Kanagawa
Major line of business: Liquid-crystal-related business; design,
development, and production of HDD production facilities, HDD testing
devices, and measuring instruments; organic electroluminescence
display
development business; engineering business
Relationship with Connect Technologies: No personal or capital
relationship.
Positioning and target
Positioning
- "A planning and operating company specialized in the use of
recycled
parts." Positioned between a career collection trader and a
manufacturer.
- The basic operation is to procure used mobile phone terminals at
cost
from collection traders, collect liquid crystal panels and other
recyclable parts, and plan and sell products containing the recycled
parts collected.
- The sale of recycled parts and products containing recycled parts
will
be the main source of earnings for the time being.
Target
- To become a company at the front end of the recycling business
- To develop a new field of business by taking full advantage of
low-cost parts
- To protect the environment by promoting the recycling of parts
The measures of the company to promote parts recycling will be
examined
as conditions and needs change with time.
Schedule
Contract day: November 25, 2005
Date of establishment: Late November, 2005
[Connect Technologies Corporation]
Connect Technologies Corporation was established in 2000 by Index
Corporation as a research and development division specializing in
software development for mobile phones. Since that time we have
continuously provided leading-edge solutions to mobile phone carriers
and content providers in three major categories of mobile
communications
business products, content & solutions, and research & consulting.
Our
company was listed on Mothers of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on March
16,
2004.
We will continue to propose superior solutions for mobile phones in
the
future as well.
Please access our website at http://www.connect-tech.co.jp
<http://www.connect-tech.co.jp/> for more details about our company.
International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd.
International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd. was
established in 1990 as a manufacturer of computer peripherals and
machines for the production of computer peripherals. The company's
mainstay business is the manufacture of production and inspection
equipment related to HDDs, LCD modules, backlight, and organic EL.
Visit http://www.imes.co.jp/ <http://www.imes.co.jp/> for details.
[Inquiries on news articles]
Business Strategy Office, Connect Technologies Corporation
Phone: +81-3-5368-5520
E-mail: ir@... <mailto:ir@...>
International Manufacturing & Engineering Services Co., Ltd.,
IR/Management Planning Dept. (Person in charge: Akeshi Yokoyama)
Tel: +81-466-45-5658
Fax: +81-466-45-0045
E-mail: ir@... <mailto:ir@...>
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/mobile-recycling
Recycle Old Mobiles
No hassle way to earn up to £150 for unused handsets
Empty your drawers and it's likely you'll find one, or a few,
unused old mobiles. It's estimated there are 90 million hanging
around the dark, dank parts of UK homes. Don't despair though,
there's a quick, no-hassle way to turn `em into hard cash. A
growing `old-phone buying' market means with a couple of clicks,
you can earn £20-£150 per phone.
How 'old phone buying' companies work
These are specialist, mainly web based companies, which will take an
old
phone off your hands and give you cash. Better still, you get much
more
than the `trade-in' discount you received when handing in your
phone to a high street retailer.
What type of phones do they want?
Sadly, digging a mobile out of the wardrobe isn't a guarantee of
decent
cash. Your phone needs to be in decent working condition, have no
more
than mild cosmetic damage, the original battery, hopefully the
charger,
and be able to be switched on.
Companies won't pay a decent whack for all phones so if it's old,
rare
or 3G (there isn't a market for these yet) a bigger hunt's needed to
find one that'll accept it. If your phone is only slightly under the
weather, check how much you'd get for a fully working model. Often
all
it takes is replacing the battery, so it may be worth doing that
yourself to get the decent sales value.
How do they operate?
They give you a price, and if you accept it, then usually send a
jiffy
bag for the phone, which you can return freepost. Yet they don't
accept
responsibility for non-delivery so depending on the value of the
phone,
it's worth considering sending the phones by `Recorded Signed-For'
delivery which insures it for up to £32 and costs around 70p on top
of the usual postage.
Send the phone charged, switched off, without the Sim card, and
remove
any security or pin codes that'll hamper its testing. To do this,
just
opt for `reset factory settings' on your phone's menu. If it
isn't up to scratch (usually only 20% of phones are rejected) you'll
generally be contacted and offered a reduced price, which you can
accept
or have the phone returned free of charge.
The Environmental Bit: Where do old phones go?
Getting rid of your old phone isn't just about de-cluttering though.
There are potentially noxious substances in decaying phones. It's
reckoned cadmium batteries can infect the water system and lead,
brominated flame retardants and beryllium could harm the environment
if
incorrectly disposed of, so even if no one will give you cash for it,
don't throw your old phone out with the rubbish.
What happens to the phones?
Once they're tested, if the phones are decent, they're then
shipped abroad and flogged. For example Envirofone sells phones in
the
Middle and Far East, Africa and South America. The one thing to be
aware
of is if it's a particularly high value phone there is a chance
these companies will sell it on eBay*
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/14a293a5> to get the most
money, therefore if you find your phone is high value, you may want
to
consider doing that yourself, and cutting out the middle man (see
Alternative Options
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/mobile-recycling#other>
later).
If your phone is of a lower class then it will be broken down and
sold
as component parts and if it's totally worthless, these companies
will dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way.
Best Buys: Comparing the top phone buying companies
While I've compiled the best payers for you, the golden rule is try
a few to see who'll give you the most for your phone. In one
comparison where two companies said one old phone was worthless, a
third
was prepared to pay £20; for another phone the amounts varied from
£25 to £75. So don't give up too soon.
Phones in good condition
* Fast, high paying and reliable. Web only company Envirofone*
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/35b3e742> pays well, though
not
the very top prices, but wins due to its simple procedure and strong
feedback. Enter the phone's details and it instantly gives you a
price.
This is either paid in cash (by cheque) or you can opt for roughly
15%
more in Argos points. It also donates £1 to charity per phone.
* The highest payer for high spec mobiles in top notch
condition. Cex
<http://www.cex.co.uk/> comes out top for many higher value models,
because rather than ship your phones abroad, it simply tarts them up
and
sells them to others. But this means it's very picky about the
phone's condition. To sell your item simply click on 'Sell to CEX'
at the top of the page. It won't send you a jiffy bag, you'll have to
bundle it up yourself. Yet if it's good enough you could consider
flogging it yourself (see Alternative methods
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/mobile-
recycling#alternative>
).
* Best of the rest. Mobile2cash <http://www.mobile2cash.co.uk/> ,
Mopay* <http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/d5aeb608> , Mazuma
<http://www.mazumamobile.co.uk/> and Mobilephonebuyer
<http://www.mobilephonebuyer.net/> are the other big players and the
more you try, the better.
Please feedback which of the companies perform best for you in the
mobile recycling discussion
<http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?
p=5379684#post53796\
84> .
Damaged phones
Envirofone* <http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/35b3e742> ,
Mopay*
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/d5aeb608> and
Mobilephonebuyer
<http://www.mobilephonebuyer.net/> will look at non-working phones,
offering a reduced price for these (expect to get around 10-50% of
the
working price) or at the very least will re-cycle them for you.
Alternatively Greener Solutions (who also run Mobile2cash) works in
partnership with Tesco <http://www.tesco.com/greenclubcardpoints/>
and
offers 100 Clubcard points (worth £4 in Deals vouchers) for
non-working phones or donates £1 to Tesco's current charity. Disposal
bags are available from Tesco customer services.
There's also a mobile recycling scheme operated via Nectar
<http://www.mobile2points.co.uk/> which pays out its points, but it
usually doesn't come close to the best of the cash payers, so it's
best
left as a last resort.
Other options to cash in your phone
Phone-buyers aren't the only option and whilst they're by far the
least
hassle with a bit of effort you make make even more cash.
* Ebay or car boot
The most profitable way to ditch your old mobile is DIY. There's a
thriving old phones market on eBay*
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/14a293a5> , earning you on
average 20–30% more than the best `phone-buyer' sites. It's up
to you to balance the extra cash with the extra hassle though, and of
course, there are no guarantees.
The best thing to do is go to eBay and search for a phone identical
to
yours and preferably in similar condition; then just check what price
they're going for. This should give you a rough indication of
whether it's worth considering.
* Sell it to a friend
If you don't want to give it to a friend, selling it can be mutually
beneficial, both earning you more and costing them less than doing it
commercially. The difficulty is deciding on a price without ruining
the
friendship.
My easy formula is, take the best price from the `phone-buyer'
companies and add 10%. If there's a dispute, simply show them this,
proving it's an unbiased parties' assessment.
* Re-use it
Just because the phone no longer has the package you want, it doesn't
mean you need a new phone. Most phones can be legally and freely
unlocked to work on any network (see the Unlock Your Mobile
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/unlock-mobile-phone>
article).
This also means it can be used as an alternative handset for things,
such as texting only mobiles, using Sim cards offering cheaper
texts, as
a phone for your children, or specially to use abroad (see Mobile
Phone
Cost Cutting
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/mobile-phone-cost-cutting>
and
Cheapest Roaming Mobile
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/cheap-roaming-calls>
articles).
* What about the charity option?
Many people see `we'll collect your old mobile for charity
deals' and think woo hoo; yet I'm not a fan. This isn't due
to a philosophical objection to giving to charity, but more because
this
simply isn't an efficient way to do it for mid to high value phones
(it's not bad for lower value ones).
These schemes work by simply giving the charity a cut of the cash you
would've received; yet if you sell it, you get more than the charity
does. So to maximize your donation, sell it yourself then donate the
cash to the charity, which means not only does the charity get more
cash, but because of the `Gift Aid' scheme (see give charities
more at no extra cost
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/protect/pay-less-give-more-to-
charity>
it can reclaim your tax too, which is an extra 28%.
* Trade in low value phones
If you're trying to get a new phone, and you have an old phone which
the recycling companies aren't willing to give you much for you
could try and trade it in with the company you're buying from (this
mainly applies to high street retailers).
Car Phone Warehouse, for example, offers £100 on old phones but this
comes with some hefty conditions. It's only available on new O2,
Orange and T-Mobile contracts that cost over £30/month and tied in
for 18 months. Don't choose a phone on this basis but if you do fall
into this category it's worth a look. For info on how to get the
best mobile tariff read Mobile Phone Cost Cutting
<http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/mobile-phone-cost-cutting> .
--- End forwarded message ---
Ramadan Mubarak to all of you. Take the Ramadan as a holy sequence........ Rahmat, Barkat and Magfirat.
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