There is no doubt that cellphones are an important part of most people’s lives. This data filled infographic by Sims Recycling Solutions, helps you understand the full life cycle of a cellphone.
Surprisingly, most people who buy their cellphone online, do so with their current smartphone! 68 percent of people use their phone to purchase their next phone, while the remaining 32 percent use their computers! I won’t lie I find this number a bit “fishy.” You’re telling me tablets account for 0.00 percent of cellphone purchases?
Anyways, there are now nearly 327.6 million cellphones in the USA to only 315.5 million residents. And the average cellphone is used for only two years before people upgrade.
80 percent of people use their cellphones for texting, while 50 percent use them for emails. And another 31 percent use them for health and medical related reasons while 29 percent use them for mobile banking.
2 out of 3 Americans then choose to hold onto their cellphones after they get a new phone, and many ultimately end up in the landfill. In fact, some 60 million dollars worth of precious metals, including gold and silver, end up getting tossed out! For every 1 million phones tossed out, 772 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold get chucked into the trash.
Who knew trash dumps could literally be gold mines?
