6 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Mexican operators (part of the Green Program of the National Telecommunications Association)
have recycled over 347,000 mobile phones
and over
46 ton's of accessories (batteries, cables, charges)
in it's first year!!
Impressive.
The project, started in October of 2013 has 335 collection sites.


http://www.telecompa...phones--1022461

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 30 June 2014 - 04:52 AM, said:

Mexican operators (part of the Green Program of the National Telecommunications Association)
have recycled over 347,000 mobile phones
and over
46 ton's of accessories (batteries, cables, charges)
in it's first year!!
Impressive.
The project, started in October of 2013 has 335 collection sites.


http://www.telecompa...phones--1022461

I think it's an excellent scheme. And has obviously had some success. And needs to be encouraged.
But, if we are to care for our environment, I think they need to go, could go, and should go, a bit further. Perhaps a lot further.

I'm not a great fan of the EU but there is the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.
WEEE.

The 2009 minimum target was 4kg per year per head. The population of the EU is a bit over 500,000,000 so that 4kg per head equates to 2,000,000,000 kg. Or 2,000,000 tonnes.
(a tonne is 2205 lb so not a lot different to the 2240 Imperial ton).

At the same rate, Mexico with a population of about a quarter of that of the EU, would collect 460.000 tonnes rather than 46T.

Yes, I do realise that there are different standards and different cultures. But not by that factor.
GDP per capita is a bit under half of that of UK.

For the absence of doubt I am not in any way denigrating their initiative.As I said, it's excellent and a step in the right direction. I've presented numbers to illustrate how much further they could go in that direction.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

As step in the right direction would also be stopping our idiotic obsession with buying new e-gadgets when the current
one we own is perfectly fine.
"Ohhh; shiny. (Or) Ohhh, a new color."
But that's also their marketing strategy.

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 02 July 2014 - 05:00 AM, said:

As step in the right direction would also be stopping our idiotic obsession with buying new e-gadgets when the current
one we own is perfectly fine.
"Ohhh; shiny. (Or) Ohhh, a new color."
But that's also their marketing strategy.

Yes, I agree. Particularly at a consumer level.
I currently have an iPhone. I was perfectly happy with my fairly old no frills Nokia. I could make and take calls. That, with the hands free connectivity with the car, where I could just shout a name or number at it satisfied my requirements. I don't need emails when I'm on the move. Nor silly games, nor iTunes, nor the myriad of other apps.......but the big corporation decided that was the way to go. My old Nokia was disabled, as was the BlackBerry I didn't want and never used. Personal rant on that done.....or maybe not......

I get emails that have such a long history. A raises a point and  copies all and sundry, B responds and again copies all and sundry, Others wade in and copy everyone and their granny. And it spirals. Out of control. The headache it causes me is that it swamps my inbox and it's a constant battle to keep below the allocated limit. It isn't unusual to have several hundred emails on any one project.Some, with drawings, can be several megs.I have one where there is currently 337 emails and over 100 Mb of data. I spend a disproportionate amount of time doing basic housekeeping chores. Just to keep space for new messages.

And I'm not done. Yet.
Another thing that irks (one syllable doesn't do it justice) is when suppliers submit their quotations with nice pics that use solid blocks of ink if you have to print them. And sometimes you do. I usually take out logos, front pages, and anything else extraneous to the meat of the document. I don't need Joe Bloggs is bladdy brilliant on every page and draining my ink cartridges.

I accept that a beautifully presented proposal might make impressionable marketing types give a second look. But I'm an engineer. I'm selling, designing, and producing systems for people like me - not widgets. My marketing people obviously see it differently. They want to "sex it up". But we are pragmatic old faarts.

[SheforACT]

I totally agree with Shortpoet-GTD.  This goes for everything in our lives not just on buying latest models of mobile phones.  We tend to be discontented with the things we currently have, we need and strive to get more.  I think it is impossible for this habit to stop however if we will learn to really stop ourselves and try to be contented on what we have, I think our future will be more progressive.  Newbie here and this is just my two cents.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

SheforACT, on 14 August 2014 - 07:53 PM, said:

I totally agree with Shortpoet-GTD.  This goes for everything in our lives not just on buying latest models of mobile phones.  We tend to be discontented with the things we currently have, we need and strive to get more.  I think it is impossible for this habit to stop however if we will learn to really stop ourselves and try to be contented on what we have, I think our future will be more progressive.  Newbie here and this is just my two cents.

You're "two cents" are certainly welcomed here and so are you; welcome to the forums.

[SheforACT]

Most cell phones contain precious metals and plastics that can be recycled to save energy and resources that would otherwise be required to mine or manufacture. With a project like this we dont have to keep on buying new phone whenever a latest model is out. It is a great for the environment and won't cost you a penny.