- There are now more mobile phones than people in the UK, not surprising given that around 1700 mobile phones are upgraded every hour in the UK (if placed end-to-end these would form a line as long as 18 double-decker buses).
- The 15 million phones we upgrade every year in the UK contain a total of almost four tonnes of silver and 600kg of gold.
- It’s estimated that 90 million mobile phones are languishing in cupboards and drawers around the UK, sat end to end, would stretch round the edge of a football pitch 38000 times!
- The average mobile phone owner has two phones that they do not use – that’s two phones that they could be sending in to your Scouts Appeal.
- When you buy a new mobile phone it leaves a carbon footprint of 32 global square metres – by recycling and reusing phones we can reduce the negative impact they have on the environment.
The Cadmium in the battery from a single
old phone could seriously contaminate 600,000 litres of water, enough to fill a
third of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Cadmium is being phased out of new
batteries.
Lead – which affects the immune, endocrine and central nervous
systems, and causes serious damage to children's brains - is used to solder
components to the printed wiring boards.
Brominated flame retardants, used in wiring boards and plastic
cases, have been associated with cancer, liver damage and problems with the
neurological, immune and endocrine systems.
Beryllium, which can cause serious lung damage, is used in
contacts and springs and highly toxic dioxins can be emitted if the phones are
incinerated in waste plants.