- Brits have 55 million unused mobile phones hidden in drawers and cupboards.
- The UK is on course to become the biggest contributor to levels of e-waste in Europe over the next three years.
- The UN reports that 50 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste were thrown away in 2019, valued at $62.5 billion.
National Upcycling Day
National Upcycling Day takes place on the 24th of June. It’s an important day for people to think about their daily environmental impact and the benefits of upcycling.
Why upcycle?
Upcycling is when you reuse unwanted objects or devices instead of keeping or throwing them away. Upcycling minimises the volume of discarded materials and e-waste. It also reduces the need to extract precious virgin raw materials from the earth.
E-waste is the world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream. By 2030, it’s estimated global e-waste will reach 74 million metric tonnes—almost doubling in just 16 years. In 2019 alone, a record 53.6 million metric tonnes of electric waste was generated worldwide.
Upcycling used tech with Envirofone
Envirofone, a tech recycler and retailer, is keen to highlight the importance of upcycling used devices such as phones, laptops, gaming machines and consumer electronics.
Envirofone reuses every product. If the company can’t sell a device or it is beyond repair, the device is sent to an e-waste recycling plant. Envirofone’s recycling facilities utilise innovative, in-house technology to recover raw materials such as lithium and cobalt. These materials are in demand for IT and mobility products, as well as the rising Electronic Vehicles market, which is expected to grow exponentially throughout the decade.
What are the benefits of upcycling batteries from our devices?
Increasing digitalisation in all areas of life further promotes the trend towards mobile devices. In 2019 alone, more than 1.6 billion smartphones were sold worldwide. This market is now showing sideways movement. Nevertheless, the figures are enormous.
Wireless devices and rechargeable batteries are also steadily increasing in tools and other electrical/electronic devices used daily. E-mobility, energy storage and mobile devices will significantly increase the demand for lithium-ion batteries in the coming years.
In addition to its economic benefits, upcycling reduces the number of toxic materials put into landfills. Cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other metals found in batteries can readily leak from the casing of buried batteries and contaminate soil and groundwater, threatening ecosystems and human health.
Fast Facts
- 2,000 tonnes of water are needed to obtain 1 tonne of virgin lithium
- It’s predicted that in 2023–2025 the demand for lithium will be greater than the mining supply
- Lithium-ion battery recycling reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions, saves natural resources, avoids virgin material mining and imports, minimises environmental toxicity, creates an economic gain, decreases waste and makes safety issues manageable
- Most of the world’s cobalt is sourced from The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where over 40,000 children are used within the mining process, making cobalt sourced from the DRC a ‘conflict mineral.’
Steve Graham, Vice President and General Manager of Envirofone, said:
“Days like National Upcycling Day allow us to take a moment to think about our habits around e-waste and our impact upon the planet. There are far too many unused mobile phones and tech lying around that are unused and unwanted, which presents both a problem and a sustainability opportunity of a mammoth scale when it comes to e-waste.”
“Raw materials found in batteries such as lithium and cobalt exist in your old mobile phones, headphones, laptops, consumer devices and electric vehicles, so let us use what is already available to us, as opposed to continuing to extract dwindling resources from the earth. TES is committed to “sustaining tomorrow” because we believe our future is linked to our people and the planet’s success. We are on a mission to close the loop on electronics and battery waste.”
To learn more about upcycling your gadgets, visit Envirofone’s website.