Today is Halloween. Do we even need scary costumes and scary noises to give us a real fright? We think it’s enough to read the news in detail, take a look at some developments in the world or deal with facts and figures on the subject of environmental protection or electrical waste. That’s why we have a few spooky facts and figures for you today.
A bit spooky: 1.4 Billions of smartphones sold in 2019
Twice as many smartphones were sold in 2019 as in 2012, with most phones being discarded after just 18 months, even though they still work. So the useful life of smartphones really is so short that we’re creeped out by it. As with many environmental issues, it is difficult to place the blame on anyone.
177 percent more used cell phones since 2010
A consequence of rising sales figures? Of course, the number of old cell phones, which is increasing year by year. Many rare raw materials are processed for the production of a smartphone. So recycling these old devices would be important for our environment and nature conservation on the one hand, but also for our consumer habits on the other. If the finite raw materials are not recycled and reprocessed properly, sooner or later we will no longer be able to produce new smartphones. Spooky, isn’t it?
Really spooky: Less than 40 percent e-waste is collected
The collection rate is truly frightening. The majority of them either lie in drawers in German households or were mistakenly disposed of in the residual waste. As a result, the collection rate of 65% prescribed by the EU is missed in Germany every year (usually by up to 15 percent). Accordingly, almost 50 tons of silver lie unused in German drawers. It is our collective task to close the loop and recover the recycling potential left lying around for us and our environment.
Enough creeps. We don’t want to present you with these numbers and facts to scare you or make you feel bad. There is enough gruesome news in the world today. Rather, we want to make you aware that each of us can make a difference. The best thing to do is to start right away: Grab a box, put all the electrical appliances you no longer need in it and take it to the collection points. Information on where you can hand in your old appliances can be found here. You are interested in sustainability and recycling? On our news page you will always find exciting articles on these topics.