Wanted: Educated Consumers
No matter how prevalent recyclable products are, and no matter how much money is poured into the recycling industry, so long as consumers don't know that their unwanted electronics are recyclable, nothing gets recycled despite good intentions to be more environmentally friendly.
Nokia and other companies who manufacture electronic devices have taken the initiative to make their products recyclable, but most people still don't recycle because they simply don't know that their handheld gadgets can be recycled.
According to this article in LiveMint.com, only three percent of people recycle their cell phones.
Here's a puzzling statement from the article: "Globally, 74% of consumers said they don’t think about recycling their phones, despite the fact that around the same number, 72%, think recycling makes a difference to the environment."
What gives?
A big part of the problem lies in the fact that not enough people know that they can actually recycle cell phones.
Then, there's the problem of finding a place to drop off the cell phone for recycling. In order for recycling to take place, infrastructure needs to be set up: collection centers need to be run by producers, municipal corporations or non-governmental organizations.
So, recycling campaigns need to be designed so that they clearly explain to consumers what can be recycled, how and where to recycle. It would also help if consumers buy post-consumer products, in order to make recycling sustainable.
Fancy that: buying a new phone that is made from other phones!
Retailers such as Staples offer recycling drop off.
If you run a business or an office, or if you simply have a house full of electronic gadgets you want to get rid off, PCDisposal offers to pick up and haul away your unwanted electronics, provided that you have 15 piece or more to get rid of.
PCDisposal is a nationwide service and uses recycling methods that meet or exceed all Federal EPA and state laws. The best part: E-waste is NEVER shipped overseas. So in addition to creating green jobs here in the U.S., PCDisposal makes is so that a child in a developing country won't be dismantling a huge mound of electronic waste and handling toxic metals with simple tools!
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