Technological garbage grows at the same rate as technology advances. Even faster. For this reason, in recent years, countless initiatives have emerged that seek the contaminant footprint, either by reusing equipment, reconditioning and subsequent resale or by simply recycling parts, among many others. In fact, the same companies have sought to take charge of the problem: Samsung and Apple manufacture equipment with parts from old mobiles or even their materials. Other purely sustainable initiatives have been added to these initiatives, such as Fairphone, which use 40% recycled plastic. And everything has turned into a snowball that does not stop.
According to estimates, in Chile there are some 85 million unused cell phones. Whether they are old, damaged or directly abandoned equipment, they still remain in the users' homes. And according to the most recent Chilenografía report, by La Vulca Marketing, 83% of the population is interested in starting to recycle their electronic devices, but only 32% do so. Added to that, 61% do not know which of their devices can be recycled and 68% do not know where these services exist. Understanding the situation, and much more in the current context, there is consensus that more of these measures should be implemented and promote a better future for our mobile phones and their components.
Claro Chile and Mallplaza launched a joint project a few days ago, installing two reception machines for old cell phones in Mallplaza Egaña and Mallplaza Los Domínicos. To these they also added an itinerant station, which will travel through different shopping centers in Santiago. What is the advantage? For users who hand in their mobiles, so-called "ecopoints" will be accumulated and will work as discounts for different commercial spaces, such as hairdressers, entertainment or transportation, among others. These will go between 5% and 35% discount and during the next few weeks some screens will guide the process. Unlike other initiatives, in which citizens only deposit their articles and wait for them to be removed, generating an incentive motivates them to continue collaborating, in order to reduce the technological footprint.
“We are committed to caring for the environment and we seek to contribute to the reduction of waste generated by the technology industry of which we are a part. For this reason, we promote instances that allow users to be summoned to facilitate the final disposal of technological devices and accessories. Today, in addition to carrying out this project together with Mallplaza, we promote the collection and reuse of cell phones, we promote the sale of pre-owned equipment and we donate reconditioned computers, to favor digitalization”, explained Leonardo Cerda, Manager of Corporate Affairs of Claro Chile.
One of the reasons that could generate certain limitations is the content of the old equipment. Many people, being cell phones in disuse, keep personal documents and files in them. Even as some lose the chargers, sometimes the phones are saved, although without charge, as a precautionary measure not to lose that data, which can be sensitive, work, family, etc. The most recommended, in this sense, is to periodically back up the information in a cloud, since that way the content can be accessed from any platform. Of course, if the devices are very old, you can choose to use a micro USB card or a transfer cable to a computer, in order to extract the records.
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is not only a concern for citizens, who are looking to get rid of their old equipment or make more space. The concern also happens on the part of large companies. Not only from the distributors, but also from the side of the producers. On some occasions, the production is so great that the same firms cannot cope with their own waste.
For this same reason, initiatives have appeared such as the Transformation of Electrical and Electronic Waste (TRAEE), of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CCS). The project prepares the same companies to be able to recycle their own waste and help reduce the negative footprint on the environment. In addition, the technological item is one that has been growing uninterruptedly and with ever greater steps given the health contingency. It was obviously one of the most important periods for users in terms of acquiring technology, be it for entertainment, new cell phones, appliances, etc. And since Chile is the country that produces the most waste of this type on the continent, the concern also goes through the companies.
Carlos Soublette, general manager of the CCS, says that the concern arose directly in his Sustainability Committee and in 2017 they began to work on the issue. Two years ago that became the Clean Production Agreement, where some 19 EEE producing and importing companies participate, accounting for 40% of the sector. "In Chile we recycle little of what we produce with our WEEE and we are under global standards," bets the executive. In addition, he states that in homes there are about forty household appliances or electronic devices, including cell phones, and with a very high replacement rate and that the amount of waste increases every year. "Cell phones last a couple of years for people, and in all the boxes there are drawers with chargers and cell phones, but all of that has harmful components if it goes to the trash or reaches the environment," he develops.
The APL, he explains, is an agreement where different actions are taken and where the final product is generally a lot of information and knowledge about how WEEE should be managed. Recycling pilots are carried out, among other things. The Extended Producer Responsibility Law (REP) establishes dates for the system to be operational, and this implies that there is an entity that is in charge of a percentage of recycling of the products in a complete way. It is also established that the companies must, jointly or individually, form a corporation that is dedicated to recycling and demonstrates good waste management. The TRAEE is the result of this and the next step is for the members of the APL to associate and form their own entity.
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“One must verify that the fida terms are adequate... That means that raw materials are removed from this equipment, that what cannot be recovered is disposed of in an environmentally correct manner, etc. And in our case, this ends up with information that tells us how this should be handled going forward,” he explains. "This is the right thing to do, and this is where we're going," he says.
They also included a series of edges linked to citizenship. First with the creation of a manual and an educational program -because the new generations are an important part-, but also with the installation of collection points for this type of article and with home delivery. What other companies are doing, as well as Mallplaza's alliance with Claro, could be a good example. And remember one from another sector. "There are some companies that, as a condition to sell you new tires, require the old ones and even offer incentives such as discounts if you deliver them," he points out.
A little closer to citizenship fall other responsibilities. Training the new generations is also a fundamental part of the challenges of the future. Not only because they are given tools and other skills, but training them in environmental education and WEEE can even change the future of the coming years, much more in the global context in which we find ourselves.
Fundación Chilenter, founded in 2002, seeks to reduce the digital divide in Chile, mixing two edges. The environmental axis is a conjunctural part of its mission, as is the incorporation and appropriation of technologies for education and entrepreneurship in communities on the technological periphery. And since 2009 they have processed more than 2,500 tons of WEEE, including cell phones. Even in 2016, they sent about 420 kilos of mobile phones to Japan, so that they could be recycled.
Its main focus is reconditioning computers and equipment to be able to deliver them to educational establishments or communities, but in any case, mobile phones are not lost sight of. According to comments from the non-profit organization, they continue to collect cell phones, in order to be able to send abroad. Gonzalo Lagos, executive director of the foundation, recalls that in 2018 they exported eleven tons of electronic waste to Japan, of which 9,705 kilograms were just cell phones. “Because we believe in and practice the circular economy, the final destination of this equipment was a plant where precious metals such as gold, silver, copper and palladium were extracted using special smelting processes,” he says. With these, recycled medals were built that were delivered to the winning athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The work with cell phones, says Lagos, is directly oriented to its recycling area. There they must remove the cell or battery, which in itself is a hazardous waste, and then they are responsible for accumulating a significant amount to be able to export. “First you have to understand that when these cell phones reach their useful life, they go from being an active component to becoming waste, but not necessarily garbage. And it is waste because its components can be used in reconditioning processes (in some cases) or recycling”, he points out. He explains that if a piece of equipment is thrown away, for example, its circuits and battery can generate leachate liquids that are so harmful at an environmental level. And he adds data from an investigation by the University of Surrey, in England: a single cell phone battery can contaminate up to 600 thousand liters of water and each device has more than forty toxic agents such as arsenic or cadmium.
Of course, he warns that precious metals can be extracted from each plate or circuit. From a ton of cell phone plates, for example, you can get about 115.5 kilos of copper, about 213.5 of gold, 81.9 of silver and 9.5 of palladium. "Unfortunately, neither in Chile or Latin America are there circular economy processes for the recovery of these metals, and there are currently consolidated companies that are pioneers in these processes in countries like Korea and Japan," he says, and exemplifies with the preparation of the more than five thousand medals from Tokyo 2020.
In the foundation they have a series of workshops, but they consider that it is essential to promote this type of initiative. And even their own students are unaware that mobile equipment can have a second life. “Here students can observe each of the processes that computer electronics go through, whether it is reconditioning or recycling, until it reaches a safe final destination. And talking about cell phones is an issue, because there is a tendency to store a large amount of equipment by workshop participants. Sometimes they don't understand that each of their parts and pieces can be taken advantage of, but when they leave they leave with a much broader vision, ”he closes.
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