According to the Global e-waste Statistics Partnership, we generate more than 50 million tons of e-waste each year and only recycle 20% of it. This means people waste many electronic devices, such as monitors, phones, PCs, etc., that could still be reconditioned and put back into service with their materials.
This photo taken on January 13, 2017 shows discarded mobile phones and computer keyboards displayed at the Metropolitan Electronics Recycling Center in Yongin, south of Seoul. - Electronic waste is rising sharply across Asia as higher incomes allow hundreds of millions of people to buy smartphones and other gadgets, with serious consequences for human health and the environment, according to a UN study released on January 15.
However, there is a solution that will address e-waste and revive these dead devices back to life.
Reviving Dead Mobile Phones
Closing the Loop (CTL) is a waste compensation service that connects technology firms with local communities in order to help them use technology more sustainably.
The company has recently set up a partnership with Vodafone in Germany as part of the telecommunications firm's commitment to recycling old mobile phones "for every new one sold to private users."
Wired reports that Vodafone plans to do this in part through the One for One initiative, in which CTL purchases entirely useless or unrepairable equipment through collection networks primarily in African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon.
These dead equipment are then brought back from landfills to recover gold, copper, cobalt, and silver that are useful for creating new devices.
Read also: 200GB of Vodafone Source Code Could be Leaked if NVIDIA Hackers Did Infiltrate the Company
CTL's Various Collaborations
CTL collaborated with Samsung and T-Mobile on a similar strategy with the Galaxy S10e in the Netherlands a few years ago, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Wired noted that the company has also previously collaborated with the Dutch government, Expereo, and KPMG. However, its recent partnership with Vodafone is the hugest contract yet. Through this collaboration, CTL vows that every year, they will recycle at least 1 million damaged cell phones.
CTL's Director Joost de Kluijver said that their main goal is to make electronic waste reduction appealing to individuals on a business level and ensure sustainable practices.
De Kluijver believes that the best way to improve recycling is to create a business case for regular collection, generate demand for additional e-waste to be collected, and finance local programs.
Furthermore, CTL and Vodafone's program is also unveiling its GigaGreen Re-Trade project that seeks to collect old smartphones, especially in Germany, which has roughly 200 million phones, according to Wired.
Trading a used phone with the company takes just a few steps. You just have to answer several given questions. Vodafone's software assesses your device and provides you with a trade-in value as well as free shipping.
Related Article: #TechCEO: Vodafone CEO Nick Read On Why European Telcos Need To Team Up For The Future
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
