| 'What? You mean I can actually go to jail for throwing | | | | into safe and responsible hands, who will know what |
| a mobile phone in the bin?' Yes, it's that serious! In | | | | to do with such products and put them to good and |
| recent years, this country is considering passing laws | | | | practical use. For example, there are mobile phone |
| that makes it a criminal act to improperly discard a | | | | recycling companies who will fix your old broken |
| used or unwanted mobile, that can be punishable by | | | | phones and recycle the phones to less fortunate |
| imprisonment and/or stiff fines. There are practical and | | | | people or just use the phone (if it is beyond repair) to |
| purposeful reasons for this possible ordinance. | | | | help with repairs of others, this way keeping down its |
| A mobile handset is a device made from | | | | cost to the environment in producing these materials. |
| non-biodegradable products that contains high levels of | | | | Some recycling companies will send used mobile |
| toxins and carcinogens, or cancer-producing agents. | | | | phones to under-developed countries, the military or |
| These elements often clog up much-needed landfills as | | | | nations suffering from natural disasters, such as the |
| well as its noxious fumes being spread into the air, | | | | recent major earthquake in Haiti, in which thousands of |
| endangering man and beast. | | | | mobile handsets were sent to that impoverished nation. |
| Just imagine large containers of liquid toxic waste | | | | Some areas have recently enabled special drop-off |
| chemicals being poured into a landfill adjacent to a | | | | bins designed exclusively for discarding used mobile |
| nearby community, where hundreds or even | | | | phones, the trouble with these though is that you are |
| thousands of inhabitants are endangered by such | | | | potentially throwing away your money when a mobile |
| powerful chemicals. Now just imagine a whole case of | | | | phone recycling company, such as Mazuma Mobile, |
| mobile phones or two being dumped in the same | | | | that give you money for recycling the phone with |
| landfill. It's the same thing. | | | | them. They will send you an envelope and you just put |
| Small wonder that more and more people are | | | | your phone in and send it back to them and wait for |
| becoming what is now known as | | | | your payment. |
| "environmental-friendly". You may have heard a lot of | | | | Or one a personal note, you can give it to your loved |
| talk in recent years about "going green" to protect the | | | | ones; your spouse, another close family member or a |
| environment. The above examples are a typical | | | | close friend. |
| reason why. There are also various "green" | | | | So as shown in the examples above, there are |
| organisations that are dedicated to impressing this | | | | various ways one can properly and legitimately recycle |
| issue on the public conscience. | | | | a used mobile phone without throwing it in the bin, |
| What is the most effective and safe way to proper | | | | which is damaging to the environment and potentially |
| discard an unwanted or unused mobile? Through the | | | | soon to be illegal! It is environmental-friendly, practical |
| process of phone recycling, or getting such devices | | | | and it makes the world a lot safer for you and me. |