Five billion phones will become electronic waste this year

Electronic waste - person tossing mobile phone

Of those devices, under 20 percent are expected to be disposed of through recycling programs. By the end of this year, an estimated 5.3 billion mobile phones are expected to have become electronic waste worldwide, and only a small fraction of those devices will have been recycled, according to the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) forum. The estimates were based on global trade data and places the spotlight on a skyrocketing environmental problem. Research shows that many people hang on to their old devices instead of recycling them. That…

Read More

Mobile health initiative raises funds through recycled phones

mhealth industry

The used devices have been used to build up money to support programs in 20 countries worldwide. A nonprofit organization called Hope Phones, which operates mobile health programs in twenty countries around the world has started a cell phone recycling program that is helping the group to be able to generate funds to continue their humanitarian work. The program is designed to not only provide money for a worthy cause, but also reduce cell phone waste. The Hope Phones organization was created to help to support the mobile health efforts…

Read More

QR codes used to make smartphone buybacks easy

Maxback QR codes

MaxBack has simplified the process of selling mobile devices using barcodes. While QR codes have been used primarily in mobile marketing, MaxBack has discovered a whole new way to apply them to mcommerce to add convenience to their process. Now, consumers can scan the barcodes to help them to earn money for their mobile devices. The company has established an easy to use, online service for buying back used feature phones, smartphones, and tablets, as well as iPods. It then either recycles or remarkets these devices. In order to find…

Read More