A majority of consumers leave their old mobile phones unused at home, unaware that these devices can be recycled, according to a new survey released Tuesday.
Conducted by Nokia, the study polled some 6,500 people in 13 countries including China, India, Indonesia, Germany, the United States and United Kingdom.
Only 3 percent of respondents recycled their mobile phones, where some 50 percent were not aware that their devices could be reused.
Markus Terho, Nokia's director of environmental affairs, said in a statement: "It is clear from this survey that when mobile devices finally reach the end of their lives that very few of them are recycled. Many people are simply unaware that these old and unused mobiles lying around in drawers can be recycled or how to do this.
"If each of the 3 billion people globally owning mobiles brought back just one unused device, we could save 240,000 tonnes of raw materials and reduce greenhouse gases to the same effect as taking 4 million cars off the road," he said.
According to Nokia, consumers on average have each owned around five mobile phones, only 4 percent of which end up in a landfill. The Finnish handset maker said 44 percent of mobile devices were simply left at homes, unused.
Some 25 percent passed their old phones to friends or family, while 16 percent chose to sell off their used devices, according to the study. It also determined that 74 percent of those polled never thought about recycling their phones, even though 72 percent agreed that recycling would make a difference to the environment.
In fact, only 17 percent and 29 percent of respondents in India and Indonesia, respectively, were aware that their mobile phones could be recycled, compared to those in the United Kingdom, which had the highest level of awareness at 80 percent.
Terho said: "Using the best recycling technology, nothing is wasted. Between 65 percent and 80 percent of a Nokia can be recycled. Plastics that can't be recycled are burnt to provide energy for the recycling process, and other materials are ground up into chips and used as construction materials or for building roads. This way, nothing has to go to landfill."
Nokia said it is aiming to encourage recycling of unwanted devices through a series of campaigns and activities, providing information on how to go about recycling old devices, chargers and other mobile accessories. The mobile phone manufacturer said it has collection points for unwanted mobile devices in 85 countries, where these products can be dropped off at its retail stores and some 5,000 Nokia Care Centers worldwide.
Environmental group Greenpeace, last week released its latest quarterly report, rating Nintendo as the least eco-friendly electronics maker for its failure to help customers recycle and eliminate toxic chemicals.
Sony and Sony Ericsson were tied at No. 1 in the Greenpeace report, mainly for their efforts in reducing plastic ingredients such as PVC and phthalates. Nokia would have assumed the top position if it had not lost a point for failed recycling initiatives in India.
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Blame the companies for lack of awareness
Interesting study. But companies are to be blamed for this, not the consumers. I have three old Nokia devices. I didn't know I could give them back to the company so that these could be recycled. Companies need to create awareness about recycling of mobile devices.
Posted by Manish Jain on Tuesday, July 08 2008 05:35 PM