The afterlife of cellphones

Computers & Mobile Energy & Sustainability
The afterlife of cellphones

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Here’s a good follow up to our last post about consumption (Artist Chris Jordan) – The NY Times on where cell phones go when they die…

Americans threw out just shy of three million tons of household electronics in 2006. This so-called e-waste is the fastest-growing part of the municipal waste stream and, depending on your outlook, either an enormous problem or a bonanza. E-waste generally contains substances that, though safely sequestered during each product’s use, can become hazardous if not handled properly when disposed. Those products also hold bits of precious metals like silver, copper, platinum and gold.

The afterlife of cellphones – Link.

2 thoughts on “The afterlife of cellphones

  1. Greg says:

    “From there, it moves into tanks of acid. The acid is electrocuted.”
    Come on NY Times, it was ‘electrocuted’? We all know electrocuted means “death by electric shock”. I think the correct term would have been “electrified”…

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