challenging the norms and ignoring marketing
strategies that push for constant upgrades will
go a long way not only to help you reduce your
carbon footprint and protect the environment
but also save you some serious money. Reusing
technology is also vitally important, passing
down old smartphones, fridges, and televisions
to friends and family, or those less fortunate
via donations to charities. Recycling is the final
option when your technology simply doesn’t
work - if it’s not possible or too expensive
to repair it, handing in your old devices to
the manufacturer or dedicated recycling
company is recommended.
And for businesses, there are benefits to
recycling, too. Companies including Apple
and Samsung are increasingly pushing their
Trade-In offers, encouraging consumers to
hand in their old smartphones and technology
products when they’re buying a new device.
Not only does it serve as a good PR exercise
and help companies offer discounts on new
products, but it can aid in their production
of new devices, too. According to a study
in Environmental Science & Technology, it’s
around 13 times more expensive to extract
materials from natural deposits than it is
to recover them from technological waste.
“Circular economies” are being formed in many
industries, with companies able to create
the latest, greatest devices without having
to depend on virgin resources, saving them
money and reducing their overall impact.
Indeed, a report from the International
Telecommunication Union suggests that
recycling old technology could generate $62.5
billion in annual opportunities, creating