Trash Talk

How to dispose of old gadgets properly

- Patrick B. Alcantara

We Filipinos love our phones, that’s for sure. We’re even comfortable with using two devices with two different network SIM cards, never mind that there are dual SIM phones available. Torn between an iOS and an Android device? Why choose one when you can have both?

Up to four million smartphones were shipped to the Philippines in the second quarter of 2017, according to market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC). Four million handsets—imagine that. Given that number, it makes one wonder where all the old gadgets go when they get replaced by the newer, shinier models.

According to UP Circuit’s data, every one million phones disposed accumulate 16,000 kilograms of copper, 350 kilograms of silver, 34 kilograms of gold, and 14 kilograms of palladium. Every year, the world dumps electronic waste (or e-waste) that weighs around 41.9 million tons, or in UP Circuit’s word: that’s as heavy as 100,000 passenger planes.