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Handhelds Hardware Science

Discarded Cell Phones 177

Posted by michael from the nokias-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see dept.
psychictv points to a NYT story about discarded cell phones as an environmental hazard. The study mentioned in the article is available online. Every year or so we run a story on paper, disposable cell phones but even these would generate a fair amount of waste.
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Discarded Cell Phones More

Discarded Cell Phones

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  • Aren't there a few places that recycle cell phones? I'm pretty sure I saw something like that on /. before.

  • In general we're moving toward a trend of throwaway technology - I wonder what kind of impact this will have when it comes to (pocket|desktop) PC's of the future

    Give them an operation lifetime of what, a year before they're replaced, that's quite a pile of equipment stacking up.

    • I think we'll see less problems once biodegradable plastics [wired.com] and organic semiconductors [organicsem...uctors.com] advance further. Until then, the Nokia shitheap grows.

      The trend also would decrease if the inverse proportion between cell phone size and imagined dick size were disregarded. :)
    • Wait, moving towards a trend? what country do you live in? Its a f*cking lifestyle.

      When an appliance breaks most folks jsut go out and buy a new one. Its cheaper to buy a new appliance than have it serviced or fixed.

      Same goes for ikea type furniture. Now replace ikea type furniture with phones, cell phones, vcr's, pots, pans....

      Its a sad fact, but its true, or at least its true to me and my experience in sf bay area.

  • Know What I do with my old Phones? (Score:5, Funny)

    by ksplatter ( 573000 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:41PM (#4411036)
    I feed them to my personal Robot Rosie. She also enjoys PDA, Cogs and Sprockets.

    Doesn't anyone these days enjoy a good Jetson References. DAMN KIDS these days!

  • Tantalum Capacitors (Score:3, Interesting)

    by bughunter ( 10093 ) <bughunter@earthl[ ].net ['ink' in gap]> on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:41PM (#4411040) Journal
    I may be out-of-date, but I recall having to tolerate excessively long lead times on Tantalum capacitors because they're all being used to make cellular phones.

    There certainly should be some sort of profit in recycling them, especially in the surface mount packages.

  • After all, they're made from the same stuff as your computer or your VCR. If other electronic devices, made from the same component parts, pose an environmental hazard, why is it a surprise when cellphones follow the same pattern?

    • Well not quite. A computer and a VCR aren't designed to transmit data wirelessly so there's stuff a cell phone has that a computer doesn't (I'm sure this stuff is pretty hazardous too, I would look it up but I don't feel like opening the PDF's now.) Besides, how many computer's did you buy last year? How many did you throw out? A cell phone you carry around, it gets lost, dropped, stolen, whatever, and you can't upgrade it. A computer you can keep for a long time, VCR even longer.

      My sister had 3 cell phones last year (one was a pre paid phone she decided she didn't want anymore, another she dropped into a creek and had to buy a new one, the third one she still uses.) My parent's bought a cell phone in 1990, they stopped using it that same year because it was way to expensive (back then they weren't the cheapest things to own.) Now they have 2, people go through cell phones like they were handing them out on the street. Just the other day I saw an ad for a cell phone, you sign up for whatever amount of time and you get a free phone. Anyway, cell phone's are really cheap now, people get them replaced all the time just because they don't like the shape, color, whatever.

      • I'm thinking a bit more generically than that. Looking beyond the purpose of the components--resistors, logic gates, chips, whatever they put in cellphones and computers--the basic materials used to make them are more-or-less the same.

        Good point about the disposability. I just can't picture throwing out my computer - I've only ever owned the one, and just upgraded it as I felt the need. But one iMac or eMachine is probably as toxic as a dozen cellphones; and thanks to the way they're designed, there's not much else you can do with those computers once they become obsolete.

      • Would you like to hazard a guess as to which cell phone "stuff" is NOT used by a computer? Here's the complete list:
        • antenna

        For those unfamiliar with "antennae", they consist of a length of hazardous stuff called "wire". Quite possibly the most hazardous part of a cell phone, especially when shoved forcefully into the ear.

      • I believe they aren't that cheap, at least not in Europe. Here, a decent cell phone starts at EUR 200 (about 200 $). The more sophisticated ones that even kids under fifteen run around with easily cost EUR 300. The devices are subsidized like crazy by the wireless telephone companies. That's the reason why SMS is so extremely expensive - they have to get the money back in a way.

  • Do Something about It For Free (Score:5, Informative)

    by pgrote ( 68235 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:42PM (#4411051) Homepage
    A group called Collective Good [collectivegood.com] will take your cell phones and recycle them. Not only do developing nations get phones, but the people who refurbish them are trained. An interview with Seth Heine [compunotes.com] the founder of the group, explains a little more.

    It's a way to give back that doesn't hurt you or cost you anything.

  • Women's shelters (Score:5, Informative)

    by jamesdood ( 468240 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:43PM (#4411057)
    I know that at here you can donate to womens shelters for use as emergency 911 phones, they don't need to have service to call 911.

  • What about computers? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by dubious9 ( 580994 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:43PM (#4411063) Journal
    It's nice to know that we have an overproduction/disposal problem with cell phones, but aren't the pounds and pounds of lead in monitors and cases much more of a hazard?

  • My Discarded Cellphone... (Score:5, Funny)

    by LordYUK ( 552359 ) <jeffwright821@nosPAM.gmail.com> on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:44PM (#4411073)
    After moving 3 states away from my coverage, I learned of a thing called "roaming"... learned it to the tune of 350 bucks... I disposed my cell phone by testing out gravity from the second story of my apartment complex... I'd like to state, as of last August at least, Gravity Still Works.

    Humor folks, enjoy it. =)

    (and for all you trolls who are going to flame me for "not know what roaming is" there were other factors not the least of which is phone companies suck alot, monopolistic bastards, and yes, I was aware I was roaming, there was simply no other choice for about 3 months...)

  • Used != useless (Score:5, Informative)

    by Cialti ( 105531 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:44PM (#4411075)
    As the article mentions, there are a number of charities that will accept used cellphone donations. One of the largest is the "Donate a Phone CALL to PROTECT" program that Motorola runs (they accept any model of phone, not just Motorolas). Phones are either refurbished and then distributed to domestic violence victims, or sold, and the proceeds go to domestic violence prevention programs. More information is available at: http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/12give/index2.cf m

  • donate them? (Score:3, Informative)

    by gmr2048 ( 176781 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:46PM (#4411081) Homepage
    dunno about the rest of the country/world, but around here (Washington DC) you can drop your old cell phone off at many local police stations. the phones are then given to a group who recondition and reprogram them to dial only 911 (the emergency police number) and are given to women who are victims of domestic violence.
    • Sort of like that other program that recycles old cellphones. The program provides geeks with no social life free cell phones that will only dial 1-900 numbers.

      (Of course, they're still responsible for any charges that may apply...)

    • Re:donate them? (Score:3, Informative)

      by nolife ( 233813 )
      Actually ANY cell phone with or without service will allow 911 calls (so I've read here [fcc.gov]). The programming required is to change the originating number to 123-456-7890 so the 911 operator knows it is a 911 only phone and can not get call backs.

  • Why can't people resell these? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by King_TJ ( 85913 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:46PM (#4411083) Journal
    I don't understand why so many people are tossing out their old cellphones in the first place?

    Every old cellphone I've ever owned, I was able to resell for at least $15 on eBay. (Often times, for much more than that!)

    People who don't want to be locked into 1 or 2 year long contracts often buy your "useless" old cellphones, so they can keep them in their vehicles as spares for emergencies.

  • Check Here for more Info (Score:5, Informative)

    by Real World Stuff ( 561780 ) <real_world_stuff@hot m a i l . c om> on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:46PM (#4411084) Journal
    Collective Good has been recycling for years [collectivegood.com].
    CollectiveGood is the mobile phone recycling resource. If you have a spare mobile phone sitting on a shelf or in a drawer, you can recycle it here in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. At CollectiveGood, you can:
    • Turn that spare mobile phone into something useful for people in the developing world Help raise funds for a charity of your choice in the process

    • Preserve the environment by keeping your used mobile phone out of a landfill, and by recycling it back into reuse
      Be rewarded for your good deed with a thank you letter and tax-deduction for your in-kind donation to a charity
      Think mobile phone recycling is a good idea? Share it!

  • Radio Shack is doing recovery efforts (Score:4, Interesting)

    by strredwolf ( 532 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:46PM (#4411087) Homepage Journal
    They're advertizing $50-$100 off a new phone if you trade in an old one.

  • Danger! (Score:3, Funny)

    by TheTorgie ( 614672 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:47PM (#4411093)
    Aren't cell phones dangerous enough when being USED? As if car accidents and brian cancer weren't enough, now we learn they kill the environment, too.
  • There seems to be a lot of interest in this in the UK now, a few news items and so forth.

    If only mobile shops would offer better prices on trade-ins, i'm sure this would reduce the amount of waste..... even if its an old and unwanted phone, i'm sure nokia,sony, and so forth will still have an interest in parts...... or you can sell it on eBay as parts of course......
    • even if its an old and unwanted phone, i'm sure nokia,sony, and so forth will still have an interest in parts

      It seems to me that companies should be required to take back certain forms of consumer waste that needs to be disposed of properly. A good example of this is used motor oil, in Minnesota service stations et al are required to accept used motor oil from anyone who feels like giving it to them, on the justification that people would be dumping it in their back yards otherwise.

      AFAIK within the next few years the EU will be requiring that all automobile manufacturers assume the cost of recycling/destroying all of their cars sold, when they are no longer driveable... So i think the idea is already around, but just needs a more broad implementation.

      To me it seems obvious: if you want to sell something that carries an intrinsic burdon upon the environment/society/etc later on, then you should build the cost of safely getting rid of it into your business plan, and this should be required whether old parts are actually useful or not, and this should apply whether you're an electricity plant or a computer manufacturer.

      -tid242

  • Another problem with those paper cell phones. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Christopher Thomas ( 11717 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:49PM (#4411115)
    Every year or so we run a story on paper, disposable cell phones but even these would generate a fair amount of waste.

    Not to mention the dangerous buildup of bogonium that would result in the disposal sites.

    Weren't the prototype phones always found to be disguised Nokia hardware? Hasn't the company producing these paper phones been denounced as a fraud every time this story comes up?
    • Oh, that's not all! Cell phones disrupting the bogon force field is nothing compared to the other wastes humans are putting out. Consider the biohazard waste every man, woman, child, and diapered baby slings out every day. This toxic waste is being funneled into our sewer systems every day, yet no one notices. The EPA does not even regulate the dihydrogen monoxide wastes from private residences.

      I'd rather take a few circuit boards with chips securely soldered to epoxy-fiberglass circuit boards in trash bags than the biohazard infectious waste pumped back into our water system every day.

  • Same as old computers... (Score:5, Informative)

    by syrupMatt ( 248267 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:53PM (#4411144) Homepage Journal
    There are already organizations that will safely recycle (or even better, refurbish for lower incomes) your old computers (http://www.accrc.org comes to mind for those in cali, us).

    There are organizations which will also take your old cellphones. Earth911 (http://www.earth911.org) will use it as a free emergency phone, and the rbrc will take the batteries (http://www.rbrc.org/consumer/).

    IMHO, the idea of sending these used cellphones to underprivleged nations doesn't wash, unless you are willing to include some infrastructure with them:)
    • There are already organizations that will safely recycle (or even better, refurbish for lower incomes) your old computers (http://www.accrc.org comes to mind for those in cali, us).

      Well these guys charge a disposal fee of $10 or so, in addition to the fact that one must pay shipping to send it there (you know how much it cost to ship a monitor? not fun).

      So until companies start offering free shipping and recycling its going in the trash. I wouldn't mind paying a little more upfront if they did the recycling, but I'm not going to pay out the nose later to recycle a broken piece of junk. I'm all for the environment but not at $50 a pop.

  • Providers partly at fault (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:53PM (#4411150)
    I have 3 used cell phones sitting at home. Why? Everytime I have changed service providers I was REQUIRED to buy a new phone. In fact the phone I actively use now it the exact same model as my previous phone. My current provider said it was "not possible" to reprogram the phone to work on their network. He had no answer as to how the charities are able to reprogram them for battered women's shelters.

    Until the providers allow cell phones to change networks, the useless ones will keep piling up!

    Sign me "Peeved at the artificial waste!"

    • Re:Providers partly at fault (Score:4, Informative)

      by SkOink ( 212592 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @01:28PM (#4411404) Homepage
      My current provider said it was "not possible" to reprogram the phone to work on their network. He had no answer as to how the charities are able to reprogram them for battered women's shelters.
      As sombody who used to sell cellular phones: Actually, the shelters don't need to reprogram the phone. Any cellphone in the 'states (not sure about other places) can call 911, regardless of provider, even without active service (as long as they have reception). So the all the shelters need to do is see that the phone gets a working battery, and distribute them.

      Something else you might not know is that these phones actually _do_ use different hardware inside. The transmitting circuits, as well as the digital antenna, are precisely tuned to the chunk of the CDMA band occupied by each phone's provider. These settings cannot be changed any more than you could 'reprogram' an FM radio to pick up shortwave.

    • I've worked as an engineer for cellular (an/dig/PCS/GSM etc.) providers for about 13 years now and stood around many a water cooler chatting with the marketing people.

      They have two basic reasons for not wanting your old phone.

      1. Sometimes, unbeknownst to you, the reason you had a crappy experience with your other service provider was the phone. This is not a profitable fact to advertise. It is more profitable to claim, "Yes, the other guys suck" and here's proof. You get a new phone and better reception and are convinced the other guys weren't as good, and you tell all your friends. The other problem is with letting you convert a possibly (but unlikely) bad phone is that the problem doesn't go away, and again, the user becomes aware that the old provider had just as good a service.

      2. Most providers want to spend as little as possible on sales staff. This means a minimum of training. The simplest solution is to give them a box'o'phones, that all work alike, and train them for two or three different models. Better still is to preprogram the phone with numbers that are in the system, but "suspended." This way, without any knowledge of cell phones at all they can get you to sign a contract, take your money, call the customer care department to have the phone "unsuspended." And Voila! Sales without training.

      Unless you change system types (Cell to PCS, PCS to GSM etc.) your phone would work just fine. GSM providers (T-Mobile, Cingular and the like) don't have this hassle since most of the programming is in the removable SIM. With those systems they will charge you a $10-$20 new sim fee and you can slip it into your old GSM phone and keep using all the headsets, batteries, chargers, covers and other stuff you purchased. That is assuming you can put up with their typically lousy rural coverage.
    • He had no answer as to how the charities are able to reprogram them for battered women's shelters.

      Simple answer: they don't. Even without subscribed service, the phone companies put through 911 calls. At least in my area. This is the only function the battered women's centers use.

    • Until the providers allow cell phones to change networks, the useless ones will keep piling up!

      Blame the US's silly infatuation with CDMA (or whatever the current version of CDMA is called). These phones have the programming information build directly into the phone (why you can't reprogram, I don't understand, because they can obviously program it once). GSM phones use a SIM chip, which can be easily replaced, or even swapped from phone to phone. (Most of) The rest of the world uses GSM, and even parts of the States (since I first signed up for digital cell coverage two years ago, I've been on GSM networks). If you don't like what the CDMA providers are doing with respect to old phone reuse, next time you switch providers pick one that does GSM.

    • Battered women's shelters don't need to reprogram the phones to work, 911 calls will go through without any service plan.

      The different providers use protocols which are fundamentally incompatible (TDMA, CDMA, now GSM.. etc.) and often different frequencies as well, so converting old phones would require new hardware, which is cost prohibitive.

      Check the model numbers, you probably don't have the exact same model. The way is works, at least with Nokia phones is you can have the first 2 digits the same for the series, and the last 2 different and provider specific. e.g. 82xx series has 8260 for ATT, 8290 for Verizon, and so on.

      The real problem is too many competing protocols (American Individuality at work :-) but that is slowly changing. ATT at least is converting to the worldwide GSM standard so my new T68i will work with a European provider should I decide to move. Once the rest of the American companies switch as well, your problem will be solved. One phone, any provider.

      ~Chaltek
      Too new to have a sig.
    • I had exactly the same problem with a Voicestream retailer. Bought a prepaid digital cel phone so I could maintain an account for enough time to qualify credit wise for a regular monthly account. Brought the phone in to the store retailer to get service started, and was approved, except in this case, they wanted me to take the "free" phone, which was the exact same model, because they had to "sell" a phone with every new account. Even though all it would have only required a swapped smartcard chip.
    • The providers lock the phones to there particular service. This way they can sell the phones below cost, and make up the difference over the term of the contract.

      The phones can be unlocked from the providers, but it requires special equipment and/or special codes that are only available from the provider.

      The providers don't have to help one unlock the phone. Some will, some won't.

      Personally, I think things would be better for the customer if we could keep our phone number, could by phones from retailers and use them on any compatible network.

      I know this because I currently work in the wireless phone industry.

      All opinions are Mine. No one else, just mine.
    • The reason you had these problems are that, when programming a phone with its network information, the provider can password-lock these features. Meaning it can't later be reprogrammed. Many phones require special, "secret" codes to even access that menu, though the Ericsson's mostly have it available. And they're honest about the locking. If your current service contract has expired, then the provider should unlock the phone for you. The argument about why they lock the phone is that if you buy one on a 1 year contract, then you don't own the phone until the end of that contract.

      I generally just search for the model of phone online before I buy it, tell the sales guy that I won't pay for it unless its unlocked, and check that it is unlocked before I hand him any cash. There are a lot of websites with cheatsheets on how to do this for various phones.

  • Coltan (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Draxinusom ( 82930 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:55PM (#4411161)
    This is even more distressing when one considers that the capacitors in these discarded cellphones are made of an element (tantalum) with an incredibly high cost of extraction in terms of human suffering. The mining of Ta has exacerbated a war in the Congo (which has over 80% of the world's Ta reserves) that has killed more than three million people. See for example What is Coltan? [go.com] A google search for coltan congo cell phones [google.com] turns up more.
    • If you want "clean" tantalum, look up north to Manitoba or down south to Australia which produces most of the world's Ta. Contrary to popular belief, the Congo doesn't have 80% of the world's Ta reserves. They do, however, have a hell of a lot of Coltan which is the principle ore used in their "mining" schemes.

      Not only is it used for cellphones, but it's also used for that wonderful Corning wear, making fake hips and joints (the body doesn't reject tantalum), it's used in allows for airplanes, nuclear reactors and in capacitors and electronics for your Playstation 2, in most of your computers and you Nintendo Game Cube.

      Tantalum is used to produce pesticides, insecticides, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Neat stuff Tantalum.
  • I wish there were more specifics on the environmental aspects... Is there something particulartly toxic about cell phones or are they just part of the problem of electronic thingamajigs hitting the landfill?
    • There are the batteries - unto themselves they tend to be particularly nasty, and people generally don't think to take tehse to a proper disposal site. AFAIK, even NiCad batteries are classified as hazardous material.

  • Buy a cell phone, fuel a civil war (Score:3, Troll)

    by tunabomber ( 259585 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:55PM (#4411175) Homepage
    See this article. [wirelessnewsfactor.com].

    Suddenly, seeing one of those "wireless communications make people happier" commercials shortly before seeing one of those "Marijuana funds terrorism" infomercials has become more ironic.

  • Design & Manufacturing Are Also To Blame (Score:3, Insightful)

    by lhbtubajon ( 469284 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:56PM (#4411186)
    Over the years, the wireless phone industry has developed a culture of disposability. This is not simply the latest phone fashions or the newest technology. It is also a question of design and manufacturing.

    Wireless phone makers design their products with the idea that they won't last more than a year or so. Is it any wonder that we're hearing about environmental issues with that sort of disposable attitude?

  • Use the phone longer (Score:1, Insightful)

    by taleman ( 147513 )
    Make the phones more durable. Using an expensive
    phone for 18 months only and then throwing it away is silly. My mobile phone is from year 1998, I still use it and the newer models do not offer anything that I need.

  • Trashy Story (Score:2, Insightful)

    by mugnyte ( 203225 )
    This may be a simple case of equating new technology with waste, as opponents are apt to do. The truth is, we generate waste everywhere, doing everything.. I don't know of any effect from the waste that will cause governments to mandate producing less or recycling more. The US population seems to put up with any quality of air or water given them.

    Eventually, someone must propose money-based incentives for production using waste materials. This is the only way to bootstrap such commerce. We had the aluminum can/glass/motor oil progress 20 years ago. It may be time for more, but who's picking up the bill?

    Throw the phones in the garbage and solve the garbage problem.

  • Blame the wireless companies (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Eric Seppanen ( 79060 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:58PM (#4411204)
    If the wireless companies are going to sell phones that won't work with any other service provider, it should be their problem when all these crippled phones end up in landfills.

  • Don't throw it away! Donate it to charity! (Score:4, Informative)

    by GuNgA-DiN ( 17556 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @12:59PM (#4411216)
    You can donate your old phone to charity here:

    http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/12give/index2.cf m [wirelessfoundation.org]

    Donated Phones are Tax Deductible!

  • US specific problem? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jeroen94704 ( 542819 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @01:00PM (#4411217)
    In the US, each provider insists on having their own network and poviding their own phones. This severely aggravates the problem, since, as another person pointed out, people get a new phone every time they switch plans/providers. I've gone through 3 phones in 2 years, while I would have been happy keeping the first one. This is less of an issue in Europe (At least in the Netherlands) where providers use standard phones that accept a small SIM-card with the relevant data on it. When you switch providers, just slide the new SIM-card into your old phone and you're all set. When you want to upgrade, slide your SIM-card in a new phone and you're set.
    • SIM cards are used in South Africa too. No hassle switching service providers. Solves the re-use problem, and makes phones more available to lower-income groups.
    • While all UK Mobile phone providers all use SIM's, the providers tend to 'lock' the phone to themselves for a minimum period, usually a year. If you want to Unlock the Phone, they'll charge you between £35 and £50.

      Some of the providers will charge you to unlock the phone regardless of how long you have had it. Depending on the Special Offer du Jour, it can be more expensive to unlock your current phone than it is to just buy a new one.

      With the relatively new number-portability rules, you don't even need a new number when changing Service providers - new SIM, new Phone, same number.

      Also, remember that there are a number of SIM standards, 6-pin, 8-pin, 7-pin and 9-pin cards (though the vast majority are of the 6-pin type), in a mix of 5 volt, 3.3 volt, 2.5 volt, and very recently 1.7 volt designs - not all SIM Types will work with all Phones!

  • Discarded cellphones are a goldmine (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jukal ( 523582 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @01:00PM (#4411220) Journal
    ...and this is very old news:

    Unwanted mobile phones are still valuable they contain precious metals such as silver (Ag), gold (Au) and Palladium (Pd), as well as copper (Cu) and plastics that can be recycled

    There are actually plenty of companies making money, if not fortune, by ripping of valuable materials from the old phones - here's one [oxfam.org.uk]. They are for now atleast a gold - and a silver mine. I quess you will find out this in US as well, as your mobile phone penetration goes high enough for this "mining business" to turn valuable - they need masses of cell phones for it to be profitable.

  • Go to any womens shelter and give them your old phone. Even though a phone may have no service provider, the phone is still required to allow 911 calls. So womens shelters give them to women who need a phone to dial 911.

    Please don't throw away, and worse yet pollute, with something that can be used in such a positive way.

  • Donate them. [wirelessfoundation.org] If you itemize your tax return, you can write it off.

  • Donate them to charity (Score:2, Redundant)

    by alen ( 225700 )
    My girlfriend is looking at a new phone this year, and her current phone will go to a battered women's group. They give the phones to battered women so they can call 911 if the need arises. All phones are supposed to have 911 access even if there isn't any active account with a provider.

  • The key paragraph (Score:4, Insightful)

    by NearlyHeadless ( 110901 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @01:20PM (#4411346)

    That is starting to add up to a huge amount of waste, says Inform, an environmental organization that issued a report this year on old phones.The Environmental Protection Agency helped finance the study.

    These people get paid to find problems, whether they are significant or not. If you think cellphones are a significant problem, I dare you to go to a landfill sometime and try to find just one cellphone.


    Nor are the chemicals in them a significant danger. Computer monitors, yes, contain a lot of lead. But all these other stories about the dangers of electronic waste are bullshit scare stories.

    • Nor are the chemicals in them a significant danger.

      There are many things we do or do not do that are not significant in of themselves. We turn off the faucet when it's not in use, even though the water bill is negligibly cheap. We turn off the light when we leave the room. We keep the "packing peanuts" that Amazon sends us, so we can reuse them when we have to ship something.

      Why should we not do something because it only helps a little?

  • I donate my old phones to the poor starving kids of the world.
  • We wouldn't have this problem [slashdot.org].

    Oh, and now the battery clip is broken too, along with the handset piece (although, fortunately, the jack is still working). I give up on that piece of shat. Anyone want a hot deal on that phone? I might be willing to trade for something that doesn't suck...
  • I don't understand why this is a big surprise. Everything we do mostly has a negative impact on Earth and its resources. I believe there was an article [slashdot.org] on Slashdot that says we are overconsuming the resources on earth.
  • I am getting my 6th phone in two years from sprint in the mail soon. The backlight broke in my first (Sanyo), got no reception with the second (Sanyo), LCD broke in my third (Kyocera 2255?), got no reception with my fourth (Samsung n240), ditto with fifth (n240) ...and well, we'll have to see what problems I'll have with my sixth (Sanyo 6000) :P Or it could just be that Sprint PCS sucks...well they do!

    I take very good care of my phones so the fault definitely lies with the manufacturer (apart from the 2nd which met with an unfortunate collision with a wall after my nth dropped call, otherwise none have been dropped, hit or smooshed).
    • Have you thought about spending a little more and getting better quality? I've had a Motorola startac 7868 for over 18 months now and the only problem was that I cracked the antenna and it cost $10 to get it fixed on the spot.

      It cost me $150 for the phone back in early 2001, but it seems it's about the same price as all of the phones that you've owned.
      • Yeah, back then my phone was about as much as yours. I'm not a big fan of flip phones in general, and especially not a fan of the looks of the startac but I do have friends who have good experiences with them. Sanyo and Samsung are supposed to be good quality too though. My friend still has his old sanyo (same as my first) and has never had trouble with it and many of my friends have had the samsung flip-phones for a long time. I am noticing a disturbing trend, friends with old phones seem to have better reception than friends with new phones, what a stupid trend!
    • I've had a Nokia 6185 for over almost 3 years now. Nokia has been a very reliable brand for me. I've dropped several times and had it slide across a parking lot once or twice but it still works. I carry it with me almost every where I go. We only got about 8 months out of my wife's Samsung. The thing just fell apart, and the battery just didn't hold a charge anymore.
  • http://www.phonebashing.com/
    They'll take care of it in a jiffy. But I wonder, where do they discard their costumes?
  • "a NYT story about "

    What? No obligatory "Registration required blah, blah, blah"? Is nothing sacred? If this goes, what's next, FP?

    People, you've got to stick to the script!
  • The metals in the chips and batteries are toxic. The batteries themselves contain acids and other hazardous materials - all batteries come with warnings that they should be disposed of carefully. I am sure MSDSes exist for almost all the components in major electronics today; and the cell phone is no exception. It is not surprising given the recent proliferation of the cellular phone as an 'everyday' item [where they once where a status symbol] that they would have an impact on the environment now that many are being disposed in favor of newer (or functioning) models.

    I can't wait to see this same article ten years from now regarding PDAs - except if I ever find any in the dumpster I'll be cannibalizing them.
  • seems redundant...

  • 80's (Score:1, Insightful)

    by eamber ( 121675 )
    Imagine the waste from all those big cel phones from the 80's.
  • Lately it's been in the news that polar bears are showing up hermaphroditic [chem.unep.ch] due to being at top top of the food chain at the top of the world. It's also reported that the melting polar ice cap may make polar bears extinct [ananova.com]. So there's really no need to worry about the hermaphroditic thing, see? Doubtless Nature has a similar plan to take care of the discarded cell phone "problem."

  • Donate old cell phones (Score:3, Informative)

    by powerbarr ( 466387 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2002 @02:22PM (#4411845) Homepage
    One thing you can do is donate your old cell phone. I believe battered women's shelters and/or the YWCA take old cell phones whose service has been cancelled. These organizations give the cell phones to woman who can use them if they need to call 911. 911 will still work on any cell phone, even if the service has been cancelled.

    This is much better than throwing one away and it is tax deductable.
  • Is there another uses for a cell phone ?

    Like:
    An Xbox becomes a PC.
    A motor of a Videoplayer becomes a propeller clock.

    Can we use the screen as an LCD ?

    Some part to build a ????
  • by ridiculous business policies involving phones, such as:

    - locking phones so that they can't be used with other carriers (some carriers, such as T-Mobile, will unlock on request after customers have been a customer awhile, but others, such as Sprint PCS, will not unlock under any circumstances)
    - refusing to activate phones not specifically sold for use on their network (Sprint PCS again)
    - forcing customers to upgrade phones simply to change rate plan (in some cases, such as one being discussed in alt.cellular.verizon right now, carriers are requiring customers who want "local-only" plans to upgrade phones that allow the carrier to incur lower roaming costs -- when the customer doesn't want to roam and/or the plan the customer wants doesn't support roaming!)

    The mishmash of cell/PCS technologies used in North America (AMPS, IS-136, CDMA, GSM, iDEN), most IS-136 carriers changing to GSM or (rarely) CDMA, the upgrades by the CDMA and GSM carriers to 2.5G and 3G technologies, etc. only exacerbate the problem...

    -SC

  • Duh (Score:1)

    by tekrat ( 242117 )
    #1) Take in old Cell Phones...
    #2) ????
    #3) PROFIT!!!

    Okay, we have to run that gag with every story on Slashdot... It's required by law...

  • We should send all our old cell phones to the Middle East. Cell phones and the Internet have been big heros in the last couple international turmoils. (Remember 9/11?) With the US preparing to topple the Iraqi government, which will destabilize Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and many other nearby countries, we're sure to have a bunch of turmoil coming up. Give the people cell phones, and the resulting politics are likely to be a bit more sane.
  • I mean, *somebody* out there has to be willing to pay $1.00 for that old cell phone. Hell, I've got friends that can afford the service, but are nervous about paying $100 for a phone.

    Yeah, sure, everyone advertises the "free" phone for when you sign up, but amazingly, they are always out of that model when you ask.

  • Any way to rewire them to the same frequency and use the throw-aways as free walkie-talkie's?

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