Although the general public is not yet aware of it, cell phones are the cause of much pollution in our atmosphere. Every eighteen to twenty four months, the average American gets a new cell phone which averages out over a lifetime to thirty four phones as the average age for getting your first cell phone is eighteen. That number is staggering and the age for beginning cell phone users is getting younger and younger.
The clogging up of our landfills is happening at an alarming rate due to the throwaway mentality of the cell phone age. People on average to have a cell phone by the time they are 18, with that age getting younger and younger and that cell phone on average is replaced every eighteen to twenty four months. That translates to 34 cell phones over a lifetime - a staggering number . Since people really have no idea about how to properly dispose of a cell phone, which as well is the case when it comes to computers and other electronics, they are overrunning our landfills.
It is so sad, but every year we toss away more than 125 million cell phones which creates garbage weighing over 65,000 tons. Educating people that a landfill doesn't have to be the place their cell phone go to retire, would greatly reduce this unnecessary yearly production of waste .
Inside a cell phone's circuitry and displays is some very toxic material such as Cadmium, Mercury, Copper, Lead and Arsenic along with Beryllium (a toxic substance linked to cancer). These are the very toxins being leached into our atmosphere because of cell phones being tossed into our landfills everyday. Also contained within a cell phone are non-toxic components which, if disposed of correctly, could be recycled and used over and over again. This would also save our precious dwindling natural resources from being stripped for use in making the base materials for new phones.
Unfortunately, no landfill is 100% safe and it is the toxins that leach from these materials into the ground which pollutes our water table and our drinkable water supply. Currently less than 1% of the entire earths water is drinkable so we must take steps to protect it.
Studies from the University of Northwest Indiana http://www.iun.edu/~environw/landfills.html have revealed that a whopping 82% of landfills in Northwest Indiana alone experienced leaks, a frightening statistic when you consider how much harm it poses to the surrounding environment and that the effects such as migration of methane gas and leaching contaminants cannot be isolated.
People living in close proximity to a landfill can be seriously affected by the leaking emissions, resulting in low birth weight, shortened height stature, liver and heart defects to name just a few. Consider these side effects from our landfills, then just think about what we are tossing into them. Although these statistics apply to Northwestern Indiana, they translate the same way for the entire country as a whole since not all landfills can be considered safe.
So overrun with discarded computers and other electronic equipment, our landfills will soon be running out of space as well as running out of the resources from which they are manufactured. It is imperative to change the behavior of our technology hungry society before this situation gets any worse.
Wants After Needs
Having the latest, greatest and coolest cell phone should not even be considered if your current cell phone is working just fine. Consider how you are contributing to the problems in our landfills and to the adverse affect on our environment before you go out and buy a new cell phone. Then consider a better way to spend your money.
Think about where that cell phone will end up. Just because it disappears from plain sight as it heads for the landfill doesnt mean its impact stops there. The effects of your old cell phone will continue to be felt long after your memory of it has faded.
Can I Do Something To Help?
Wisely dispose of your unwanted cell phone. Each country internationally and each state domestically, have their own requirements. So do a little research and while you're at it, check out where you can go to recycle or donate your phone instead of just tossing it.
As yet, there isn't a federal mandate on the recycling of cell phones, but states are each taking it on themselves and implementing their own measures.
Several states are passing legislation requiring business owners to have a recycling system established in order to do business. They will not be able to legally sell their products if they do not have this system in place.
Why not adopt your old cell phone out to another good home when you are through with it? You will be giving it a new lease on life and it won't have to be resigned to laying in a landfill for years and years to come.
You can donate them to a worthy cause, for example www.wadt.org is a nonprofit organization that accepts cell phone donations for victims of domestic violence.
How about reselling it on eBay or Craigslist?
Heres another fantastic one, there are actual businesses that will pay you up to $50 for your old cell phone, they make it extremely easy to arrange and will even pay for postage and handling.
Now you can see that there are several ways to discard your old cell phone other than by just tossing it into the trash. At the same time you will be helping the earth stay cleaner as you adopt them and you can feel good knowing that you're doing something to help. - 16890
The clogging up of our landfills is happening at an alarming rate due to the throwaway mentality of the cell phone age. People on average to have a cell phone by the time they are 18, with that age getting younger and younger and that cell phone on average is replaced every eighteen to twenty four months. That translates to 34 cell phones over a lifetime - a staggering number . Since people really have no idea about how to properly dispose of a cell phone, which as well is the case when it comes to computers and other electronics, they are overrunning our landfills.
It is so sad, but every year we toss away more than 125 million cell phones which creates garbage weighing over 65,000 tons. Educating people that a landfill doesn't have to be the place their cell phone go to retire, would greatly reduce this unnecessary yearly production of waste .
Inside a cell phone's circuitry and displays is some very toxic material such as Cadmium, Mercury, Copper, Lead and Arsenic along with Beryllium (a toxic substance linked to cancer). These are the very toxins being leached into our atmosphere because of cell phones being tossed into our landfills everyday. Also contained within a cell phone are non-toxic components which, if disposed of correctly, could be recycled and used over and over again. This would also save our precious dwindling natural resources from being stripped for use in making the base materials for new phones.
Unfortunately, no landfill is 100% safe and it is the toxins that leach from these materials into the ground which pollutes our water table and our drinkable water supply. Currently less than 1% of the entire earths water is drinkable so we must take steps to protect it.
Studies from the University of Northwest Indiana http://www.iun.edu/~environw/landfills.html have revealed that a whopping 82% of landfills in Northwest Indiana alone experienced leaks, a frightening statistic when you consider how much harm it poses to the surrounding environment and that the effects such as migration of methane gas and leaching contaminants cannot be isolated.
People living in close proximity to a landfill can be seriously affected by the leaking emissions, resulting in low birth weight, shortened height stature, liver and heart defects to name just a few. Consider these side effects from our landfills, then just think about what we are tossing into them. Although these statistics apply to Northwestern Indiana, they translate the same way for the entire country as a whole since not all landfills can be considered safe.
So overrun with discarded computers and other electronic equipment, our landfills will soon be running out of space as well as running out of the resources from which they are manufactured. It is imperative to change the behavior of our technology hungry society before this situation gets any worse.
Wants After Needs
Having the latest, greatest and coolest cell phone should not even be considered if your current cell phone is working just fine. Consider how you are contributing to the problems in our landfills and to the adverse affect on our environment before you go out and buy a new cell phone. Then consider a better way to spend your money.
Think about where that cell phone will end up. Just because it disappears from plain sight as it heads for the landfill doesnt mean its impact stops there. The effects of your old cell phone will continue to be felt long after your memory of it has faded.
Can I Do Something To Help?
Wisely dispose of your unwanted cell phone. Each country internationally and each state domestically, have their own requirements. So do a little research and while you're at it, check out where you can go to recycle or donate your phone instead of just tossing it.
As yet, there isn't a federal mandate on the recycling of cell phones, but states are each taking it on themselves and implementing their own measures.
Several states are passing legislation requiring business owners to have a recycling system established in order to do business. They will not be able to legally sell their products if they do not have this system in place.
Why not adopt your old cell phone out to another good home when you are through with it? You will be giving it a new lease on life and it won't have to be resigned to laying in a landfill for years and years to come.
You can donate them to a worthy cause, for example www.wadt.org is a nonprofit organization that accepts cell phone donations for victims of domestic violence.
How about reselling it on eBay or Craigslist?
Heres another fantastic one, there are actual businesses that will pay you up to $50 for your old cell phone, they make it extremely easy to arrange and will even pay for postage and handling.
Now you can see that there are several ways to discard your old cell phone other than by just tossing it into the trash. At the same time you will be helping the earth stay cleaner as you adopt them and you can feel good knowing that you're doing something to help. - 16890
About the Author:
Beverly Clarke manages a network of green living websites promoting eco-friendly choices. To find out how you can create your own daily recycling plan Download Your Free Report
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