With all this talk of mobile phone recycling, have you ever wondered what actually happens to your old phone?
According to research in Australia, parts of your old phone could end up in fence posts or even in saucepans!
The outside or cover of your phone is usually made up of metals, plastic and ceramics. The plastic is separated, broken down and mixed with other recyled plastic to make things like fence posts. The steel is recycled.
Most new phones have lithium ion batteries. The lithium ion on the inside is recovered and used to make more batteries. The outer shell contains nickel which is shredded and used for stainless steel manufacturing to make things like pots and pans.
The circuit boards inside contain small amounts of precious metals like silver, gold, copper and lead, which are retrieved by melting and extraction. The outer casings are often mixed with other recycled material to make new products.
So mobile phone recycling really does ensure that all parts are re-used and recycled so that not even the smallest component goes to waste.