Mobile Phone Recycling

Download PDF - Education - Secondary Activity 1.pdf

Key Learning Areas

This activity can help students to achieve many learning outcomes in several Key Learning Areas. Some of the relevant Key Learning Areas are:

1. Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE), Strands: Investigation, Communication and Participation, Place and space, Resources and Natural and social systems
2. Mathematics, Strands: Measurement, Chance and data and Mathematical tools and procedures
3. Science, Strands: Natural and processed materials
4. Technology, Strands: Designing, Making and Appraising, Materials and Information

Objectives

By the end of this activity the student will:

1. Develop an understanding of the mobile telecommunications industry in Australia.
2. Understand why and how mobile phones are recycled.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the environmental benefits of recycling mobile phones and how the recycling process works.

Background

Over 90% of the materials in mobile phones, batteries and accessories can be recovered and used as raw materials in the manufacture of new products. While everything in a mobile phone is solid state (i.e. there are no moving parts or liquids that can be released in normal use), they do contain small amounts of potentially hazardous substances, which if mismanaged at the end of its life can harm the environment.

Activity

Introduction

Introduce the topic by asking students if they or someone in their family owns a mobile phone. To help focus attention on the subject we begin with looking at the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phone usage, both for individuals and for society. Using a cost benefit analysis sheet students can weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phone usage and come to a conclusion.

This activity is quite brief, as it is likely that your students will come down firmly in favour of the mobile phone. However, they may not have considered all the issues involved and they may have some creative ideas about how they and society can make the best use of mobile phones.

Suggested procedure

1. Introduce the concept of a cost-benefit sheet. It is basically a way of working out whether something is a good idea, and whether it is worth the costs involved. Cost-benefit sheets are used quite frequently by bureaucrats and business people who are thinking of trying out new ideas or planning projects (recycling schemes for example). Is the investment they are making going to pay off in the long-term?
2. Talk the students through the sheet before they fill it in, giving examples of what they could put into the different categories. You might like to bring in an example of how much a new mobile phone and contract would cost, in case any of the students do not own mobile phones. However, other pupils might supply this information.
3. Once they have filled in their sheets, students could discuss their ideas as a class or in small groups.

Concluding that mobile phones play an increasingly important part in our lives and the benefits of their use has been discussed ask students the following questions and discuss the results.

1. Have they ever seen old mobile phones lying around the home?
2. Do they know what to do with old mobile phone?
3. Do they think mobile phones could be recycled?

The mobile phone industry in Australia

To gain an understanding of the environmental considerations manufacturers take into account when designing a mobile phone ask students to research the design for environment initiatives undertaken by the major mobile phone manufacturers. The major mobile phone manufactures include LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Sony Ericsson.

Suggested procedure

1. Ask students to choose one manufacturer and through their company websites look at what environmental initiatives they are undertaking, which may include:
   
   
   
   • Material efficiency.
   • Environmentally sound materials.
   • Disassembly.
   • Energy consumption.
2. Suggest to students that they may need to look at the company's Australian and international websites as mobile phones are designed and manufactured overseas.
3. Once they have undertaken the research students could present their findings back to the class. Students who researched the same company could compare the information they found.

Why is it important to recycle?

Every year more and more people are replacing their old mobile phones with new ones, it is estimated that people replace their old mobile phone every 18 to 24 months.

Suggested procedure

1. Ask students if they or anyone in their family have brought a new mobile phone in the last year?
2. Ask students to complete the Worksheet: Why recycle? The Worksheet lists a number of facts about the use of mobile phones. The questions listed on the worksheet highlight the importance of why it is important to recycle mobile phones.
3. As part of the worksheet students need to undertake some research into the components of a mobile phone and the potentially hazardous materials that are found in mobile phones. This exercise could be completed as a homework activity or research project.
4. Once students have completed the worksheet discuss their results and why they think it is important to recycle mobile phones.

How are they recycled?

Inform students that over 90% of the materials in mobile phones, batteries and accessories can be recovered and used as raw materials in the manufacture of new products.

Suggested procedure

1. Explain to students that recycling is an important process as mobile phones contain small amounts of potentially hazardous substances, which if mismanaged at the end of its life can harm the environment. The recycling process ensures that these substances are extracted from the mobile phones and either reused or disposed of safely.
2. View the educational video “Where do the old mobiles go?” which looks at how the phones are collected and recycled. The video can be viewed in the download section of the MobileMuster website www.mobilemuster.com.au
3. Using the table below (Recycling Mobile Phones) as a guide discuss:
   
   
   
   • How each of the mobile phone components is recycled.
   • What residue is produced?
   • What new products can be created?
4. How do other countries manage mobile phone recycling? Divide the class into teams to research other country recycling initiatives. As part of this activity it is important to highlight that overseas take back programs are run by individual companies and usually funded by reselling some of the phones. Whereas the Australian program is funded by the industry members paying a levy voluntarily on every handset shipped into Australia and all materials collected through the program are recycled for material recovery.

Recycling Mobile Phones

Work Sheet: Cost-Benefit Sheet for a Mobile Phone 

Benefits

What are the benefits of having a phone?

Costs

What are the costs of having a phone?

If you own a phone, where do you get the money? If you don't own one, how would you find the money?

Risks

Benefits to society

Costs to society

Any other comments

Conclusion

Worksheet: Why Recycle?

FACTS AND FIGURES

• 7.8 million mobile phones were shipped into Australia in the last 12 months (2008-09).
• The average Australian updates there mobile phone every 18-24 months.
• It is estimated that Australians have 14 - 16 million unused mobile phones.
• There are currently over 21 million mobile phone subscribers in Australia.
• Estimated Australian population is 21.9 million people.
• 3 out of 4 people have one unused mobile phones at home
• 4 out of 10 people have 2 or more unused mobiles at home
• 50% of people have owned at least 4 phones

Source: Australian Mobile Phone Association (AMTA) www.amta.org.au and Australian Bureau of Statistics www.abs.gov.au

Based on the facts above answer the following questions:

1. What is current mobile phone penetration? ____________per cent.
2. How many phones would you estimate are hoarded by your class?_______
3. Estimate the number of mobile phones you are likely to own over the next 25 years._______
4. If the sales rate for mobile phones remains the same over the next 10 years how many mobile phones will be entering Australian households? _______

Homework/extension Research Questions:

1. What are the major components in a mobile phone?
2. What substances would you find in a mobile phone?
3. Can you list the potentially hazardous substances found in mobile phones?

Useful Websites

• MobileMuster www.mobilemuster.com.au
• AMTA www.amta.org.au
• GSM Association www.gsmworld.com
• Basel Convention www.basel.int
• Basel Action Network www.ban.org
• Forum for the Future www.forumforthefuture.org.uk
• Greenpeace www.greenpeace.com.au