Pollution From Cell Phones - What's the Solution?

Article Written By: BeverlyClarke

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. Landfills are becoming clogged at an alarming rate due to our throwaway societal behavior being met with our voracious consumption appetite for cell phones. Along with computer equipment and other types of electronics, people are not aware of how to properly dispose of these items.

Sadly, it is estimated that over 125 million cell phones are tossed every year, creating over 65,000 tons of garbage. Knowing that the landfill doesnt have to be the end point of your cell phones life can greatly reduce the amount of unnecessary wastage produced each year.

Contained within their circuitry and displays is some very toxic substances such as Copper, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, Lead and Beryllium (a carcinogen linked to cancer). The fact that this is what is leaching into the atmosphere everyday from cell phones being tossed into our landfills, is reason for educating the public about cell phone recycling. Instead of stripping any more of the base materials needed to make cell phones from our already limited natural resources, we could use the existing components over and over again.

Our landfills unfortunately, are not 100% safe and the toxins from these cell phone materials are leaching into the ground and polluting our water table. Since only 1% of the Earth's water is potable, we have to protect it from further contamination.

Research from Northwest Indiana University have shown that leaks at Northwest Indiana landfills alone are at a staggering 82%. This is a frightening statistic after considering the harm this does to the environment considering that contaminants such as methane gas cannot be isolated.andnbsp; So toxic are the emissions from landfills that living within a close proximity of one can affect health such as low birth weight in newborns, shorter height than the general population and heart defects and liver abnormalities to name a few. If these are just some of the side effects from landfills, imagine what we are throwing into them. These figures may be for Northwest Indiana but apply on a grand scale because not all landfills are safe. The landfills around the country have become so overrun with computers and other discarded electronic equipment, that unless we take steps now to curtail this practice, we will soon be running out of land in which to accommodate these items and also running out of the resources from which they are manufactured.

Before Wants - 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.

Currently there are no federal mandates on the issue of recycling cell phones, but many states are implementing measures of their own. In some states it will be illegal for businesses to sell their products or even to obtain a business license if they don't have a recycling system in place. Your cell phones' retirement home does not have to be in a landfill. It can be given a new lease on life by being adopted out to another good home.

About the Author

Beverly Clarke manages a network of living green websites promoting eco-friendly choices.

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