Nokia expands MY recycling scheme with kiosks
By Pamela Perez, CommsDay
Nokia has introduced automated kiosks across the central Klang Valley of Malaysia in order to get people to recycle their mobile phones.
According to a survey conducted by Nokia, only 3% of people recycle their mobile phones, as very few even think about or have an idea how to recycle phones they no longer use. Most people were even unaware that it is even possible to do so.
“If each of the three billion people globally owning mobiles brought back just one unused device we could save 240,000 tons of raw materials and reduce greenhouse gases to the same effect as taking 4 million cars off the road,” said Markus Terho, Nokia’s director for environmental affairs.
“In fact, up to 80 percent of any Nokia device is recyclable. Materials such as cobalt, nickel, copper, iron, aluminum, plastics, and even gold can be recovered. It can be reused to help make new products such as steel and other metal products, plastic cones, and in the case of precious metals like gold, into jewelry,” Nellie Abdullah, Nokia Malaysia’s environmental coordinator told ZDNet Asia.
One of the main purposes to recycle is to divert used phones from cluttering up the landfills
where they will not biodegrade for centuries if at all. Additionally, there are hazardous materials and toxic chemicals used in phone manufacturing, items which can possibly leach into the ground if not disposed of properly, the firm said. In a bid to encourage mobile phone recycling, Nokia has expanded its global take-back program with the introduction of kiosks specially designed to ease the recycling process.
“We’ve been at the forefront of driving environmental initiatives in the mobile industry for over a decade, and Nokia Malaysia is the first to launch this automated recycling machine within Nokia globally,” said Nellie.
The Integrated Nokia Kiosk is part of a six-month pilot program that combines recycling and
customer care services. Mobile users can drop off their old phones at the kiosks to be recycled, as well as leave their devices for servicing.
A user comment made on CNET Community’s website said, “People don’t recycle their cell
phones because the companies don’t offer anything by doing so. Quid pro quo – it’s simple.”
Hence for an added incentive to users, Nokia will donate a tree for every phone recycled and users can monitor the growth of their trees with given coordinates and instructions on how to view the tree via Google Earth. This proposal is part of the existing NEWtrees Initiative, a collaboration between Nokia, Equinox Publishing, and WWF Indonesia, in which Nokia pledged to plant 100,000 trees in Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Related posts:
- Few recycling handsets says Nokia
- Nokia shows off concept “remade” with recycled materials
- Telwares launches handset recycling program for enterprise customers
- Renewable energy to replace diesel for remote cell sites – Nokia
- Nokia Siemens Networks scores big with new energy efficient gear
Category: Climate change, Green corporations, Mobile
Follow us...
If you enjoyed this article, connect with us to receive more just like it.
Its a good logic and good to recycle a unused mobile phone. And a tree in a replace of a phone is also good enough. thanks for the good concept of making the world green and toxic free.