According to experts, people change their mobile phones about every two to three years. Due to easier financial access to as mobile devices become consumer goods, use every day, not only adults but also teenagers and children from an early age. School today because their pupils and students a lot of interesting ways to get acquainted with the problem of waste recycling and environmental responsibility. Within teaching programs often learn new and fresh information, which can surprise even their own parents. On the mobile phone must learn to describe a way of life instruments from mining of rare ores to recycling. "Children explore what constitutes a cellphone made and where its components are manufactured. They can then assess what the impacts of the production of electrical appliances on the environment and also what they bring for unused materials when retired telephone hiding at home in a drawer, "said David Vandrovec, Director of REMA, which implements the Green School, a training and collection of small WEEE and batteries in schools.
Current statistics show that around 35% of the Czech population will sell a phone that already wants most to the bazaar. A third of people turn your old cell phone, however, he retains and stores it in one drawer in case that in the future could still come in handy. In each household now we find at least one mobile phone stocks. If you have not stored unwanted phones at home, or even tossed into the trash, you might be surprised to learn that almost 100% of any such device can be reused to make new products or energy. The mobile phone is comprised of about 49% plastic, 34% iron, 15% copper and the balance tin, zinc or noble metals.
"Recycling is possible to obtain metals almost fully back, for example gold, the rate of recovering the entire 98%, in silver, about 90%," explains David Vandrovec. "The big advantage is the fact that metals in general can be recycled repeatedly. They are used for example for the production of printed circuit boards, which in turn are used in mobile phones and other electronics, etc. can be reused and plastics, "said Vandrovec.
Thanks to recycling is possible to protect animals and to save energy
And as mobile phones connected with the gorillas? An integral part of the mobile ore called coltan. From they are made of heat-resistant materials used in capacitors of mobile phones or other electrical equipment. Coltan is mined mainly in the African Congo and its production affects the striking loss of habitat of lowland gorillas. At present, therefore, there are a number of projects that target the protection of animals. "The project Bring old cell phone - Support the guardian of the forest for each cast cellphone contribute ten crowns Cameroon reservation Dja for the acquisition of new equipment for the guard who tries to protect the endangered gorillas from poachers, "closer cooperation with the Prague Zoo David Vandrovec that last year through unnecessary phones have managed to send to Africa over 50 thousand.
The recycling of materials from retired phone would provide a simple way to obtain raw materials and contribute to the reduction of mining in the areas concerned. Given that mining usually occurs in places that are remote places of processing and consumption of mobile phones, raw materials and finished products conquered the very long distances. While, for example, copper is mined mainly in Chile and South Africa in gold, silver again in Russia. These raw materials are then transported to Turkey or China for hand or machine processing to form individual components. You then climbing and other distances, especially in Malaysia, which are assembled and packaged. Mining is often associated with the deadly dangers of mines and child labor ..
Source: tz, editorially modified