Why are the phones re-used as opposed to just recycled?
Avoidance is the first and most important environmental principal, particularly when it comes to waste. By re-using items such as mobile phones, you have avoided the need to produce a new one. Where phones cannot be re-used, recycling is an important step towards waste reduction. The energy and raw materials used to produce millions of new mobile phones contributes to CO2 emissions and global warming. According to the Basel Convention and the Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI) guidance document published in November 2006 it is believed that “Re-use, directly or via repair or refurbishment is usually the preferable option over recycling and disposal from an environmental perspective. Re-use can extend product life and means less environmentally damaging extraction, less energy consumption and less waste. Re-use of second-hand equipment can also often mean a lower price for products, thus increasing accessibility for more people who might not otherwise be able to afford the produ
