U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2006–3097

July 2006

Recycled Cell Phones—A Treasure Trove of Valuable Metals

Printed on recycled paper

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects worldwide 

data on almost all mineral commodities. Recycling, a significant 

factor in the supply of many of the metals used in our society, provides environmental benefits, such as energy savings, 

reduced volumes of waste, and reduced emissions associated 

with energy savings. In addition, recycling reduces the amount 

of virgin metals that must be mined to support our lifestyle. This 

USGS Fact Sheet examines the potential value of recycling the 

metals found in obsolete cell phones.

Cell phones seem ubiquitous in the United States and commonplace throughout most of the world. There were approximately 1 billion cell phones in use worldwide in 2002 (Fishbein, 

2002). In the United States (fig. 1), the number of cell phone 

subscribers increased from 340,000 in 1985 to 180 million in 

2004 (Most, 2003; Charny, 2005).

Worldwide, cell phone sales (fig. 2) have increased from 

slightly more than 100 million units per year in 1997 to an 

estimated 779 million units per year in 2005. As shown in figure 

2, sales increased from 1997 through 2000 and then leveled off 

through 2002. In 2003, sales began to increase again. Cell phone 

sales are projected to exceed 1 billion units per year in 2009, 

with an estimated 2.6 billion cell phones in use by the end of 

that year (Gartner Inc., 2005). Sales are driven by new subscribers signing up for services, by subscribers purchasing additional 

phones, and by subscribers replacing obsolete cell phones.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that, 

by 2005, as many as 130 million cell phones would be retired 

annually in the United States (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 2005). The nonprofit organization INFORM, Inc., 

anticipated that, by 2005, a total of 500 million obsolete cell 

phones would have accumulated in consumers’ desk drawers, 

store rooms, or other storage, awaiting disposal (Most, 2003). 

Typically, cell phones are used for only 11⁄2 years before being 

replaced (Fishbein, 2002). These unused (or obsolete) cell 

phones usually are replaced because they do not have desired 

features, they are not compatible with a new provider, or they no 

longer function.

Less than 1 percent of the millions of cell phones retired 

and discarded annually are recycled (Most, 2003). Of this small 

percentage recovered, most are refurbished and put into use or 

used for replacement parts. If these options are not possible, 

core elements (such as copper) are recycled (Heine, 2002).

When discarded cell phones are not recycled, most eventually end up in municipal solid waste facilities. Although there 

are cell phone collection and recycling programs, they have 

had little impact on this waste stream. According to INFORM, 

Inc. (Most, 2003), the lack of impact results from an inefficient 

recycling infrastructure, insufficient publicity for the programs, 

small-scale collection sites, and few or insufficient financial 

incentives. Figure 3 shows the cell phone life cycle, including 

the recycling option.

Millions of subscribers

Year

1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

100

180

160

140

120

80

60

40

20

0

Figure 1.  Growth in

the number of U.S. cell

phone subscribers from

1985 to 2004 (Most, 2003;

Charny, 2005).
Metal Contents in Cell Phones

The Environmental Literacy Council (2004) reported that 

the weight of a typical cell phone in the early 1990s was 10.5 

ounces (298 grams; for comparison, a paperclip weighs about 

1 gram) and in 2000 was 7.7 ounces (218 grams). In 2005, a 

typical cell phone weighed about 4 ounces (113 grams) (Nokia, 

2005), exclusive of batteries and battery charger; this weight 

was used as the basis for the analyses that follow.

Figure 4 (based on data modified from Mobile Takeback 

Forum, 2005) shows estimated materials content in the average 

cell phone in 2000 (the data do not include the material in batteries or chargers). Metals included in the estimate are primarily copper, iron, nickel, silver, and zinc, with small amounts of 

aluminum, gold, lead, manganese, palladium, platinum, and tin.

More recent information from Falconbridge Limited was 

used to construct table 1. Falconbridge recycles cell phones for 

their metal content. The company estimated that, in 1 metric 

ton of obsolete cell phones (exclusive of batteries), the average 

copper content was 140 kilograms; silver, 3.14 kilograms; gold, 

300 grams; palladium, 130 grams; and platinum, 3 grams (Rob 

Bouma, Falconbridge Ltd., written and oral communs., 2005).

In 2004, there were approximately 180 million cell phone 

subscribers in the United States (Charny, 2005). If each subscriber used only one phone and if an average active cell phone 

weighed 113 grams, then the minimum total weight of cell 

phones in use was about 20,000 metric tons. Table 1 shows that 

Figure 2.  Trends

in cell phone sales

worldwide from 1997

to 2005 (Gartner Inc.,

2005).

Millions of units sold

Year

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

400

300

200

100

800

700

600

500

0

Table 1.  Weight and gross value of selected metals in cell phones in the United States.

[The average weight (wt) of a cell phone is estimated to be 113 grams (g), exclusive of batteries and charger (Nokia, 2005). Metal contents are weights in metric tons 

(t), unless otherwise noted. Values in U.S. dollars are calculated by using the average of prices for 2002–2004 from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2005 (Amey, 

2005; Edelstein, 2005; Hilliard, 2005a,b). The gross values do not include costs of recycling. Data may not add to totals shown because of independent rounding]

Metal

Metal content and value 

estimated for a

typical cell phone

Metal content and value for

180 million cell phones

in use in 20042

Metal content and value

for 130 million cell phones 

retired in 20052

Metal content and value for

500 million obsolete cell

phones in storage in 20052

Wt1 (g) Value Wt3 (t) Value Wt3 (t) Value Wt3 (t) Value

Copper 16 $0.03 2,900 $6.2 million 2,100 $4.6 million 7,900 $17 million

Silver 0.35 $0.06 64.1 $11 million 46 $7.9 million 178 $31 million

Gold 0.034 $0.40 6.2 $72 million 3.9 $52 million 17 $199 million

Palladiun 0.015 $0.13 2.7 $22.7 million 2.0 $16 million 7.4 $63 million

Platinum 0.00034 $0.01 0.06 $1.4 million 0.04 $1 million 0.18 $3.9 million

Total 2,973 $113 million 2,152 $82 million 8,102 $314 million

1

Metal content (wt) calculated from weight of a typical cell phone (Nokia, 2005) and data from Rob Bouma, Falconbridge Ltd., written and oral communs., 2005.

2

Number of cell phones in use in 2004 from Charny, 2005. Number of cell phones retired in 2005 from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005. Number of 

obsolete cell phones projected to be in storage in 2005 from Most, 2003.

3

Metal content (wt) calculated from data from Rob Bouma, Falconbridge Ltd., written and oral communs., 2005.
tons of copper recovered from obsolete scrap in the United 

States in 2004 (Edelstein, 2005). The average price of copper 

for 3 years, 2002 through 2004, was about $0.98 per pound 

(about 454 grams) (Edelstein, 2005). At this price, a cell phone 

contains about 3.5 cents worth of copper. The total value of the 

copper in cell phones retired annually, without accounting for 

the recovery costs, is approximately $4.6 million; the value for 

obsolete cell phones in storage is $17 million.

Silver.—If the 46 metric tons of silver in cell phones retired 

annually and the 178 metric tons of silver in cell phones in storage were recycled, then the silver recovered from cell phones 

would amount to almost 3 percent and 10 percent, respectively, 

of the 1,700 metric tons of silver recovered from scrap from U.S. 

recycling activity in 2004 (Hilliard, 2005a). The price of silver 

averaged from 2002 through 2004 was $5.33 per troy ounce (about 

31.1 grams) (Hilliard, 2005a). At this price, a cell phone contains 

about 6 cents worth of silver. The total value of silver in cell phones 

retired annually, without accounting for the recovery costs, is $7.9 

million; the value for obsolete cell phones in storage is $31 million.

Gold.—If the 3.9 metric tons of gold in cell phones retired 

annually and the 17 metric tons of gold in cell phones in storage 

were recycled, then the gold recovered from cell phones would 

amount to 4 percent and 18 percent, respectively, of the 95 

metric tons of refined gold recovered from recycled materials in 

the United States in 2004 (Amey, 2005). The price of gold averaged from 2002 through 2004 was $362 per troy ounce (Amey, 

2005). At this price, a cell phone contains slightly more than 40 

cents worth of gold. The total value of the gold in cell phones 

retired annually, without accounting for the recovery costs, is 

$52 million; the value for obsolete cell phones in storage is 

$199 million.

there were about 2,900 metric tons of copper, 64 metric tons of 

silver, 6 metric tons of gold, almost 3 metric tons of palladium, 

and 0.06 metric ton of platinum in these phones.

About 130 million cell phones are retired annually in the 

United States (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005). Collectively, these cell phones weigh about 14,000 metric tons. Table 1 

shows that annually retired cell phones contain almost 2,100 metric 

tons of copper, 46 metric tons of silver, 3.9 metric tons of gold, 2 

metric tons of palladium, and 0.04 metric ton of platinum.

The number of obsolete cell phones stored in drawers and 

closets by 2005 was forecast to be 500 million (Most, 2003). 

For these analyses, it was assumed that the average obsolete 

cell phone also weighs 113 grams. At this weight, 500 million 

obsolete cell phones would have a collective weight of more 

than 56,000 metric tons. As shown in table 1, these cell phones 

would contain approximately 7,900 metric tons of copper, 178 

metric tons of silver, 17 metric tons of gold, 7.4 metric tons of 

palladium, and 0.18 metric ton of platinum.

The Value of Metals in Cell Phones

Cell phones are small, and so the quantity of metals 

contained in each cell phone is also small. When many phones 

become obsolete, however, the quantity and value of the metals 

contained in those phones become significant.

Copper.—If the 2,100 metric tons of copper in cell 

phones retired annually and the 7,900 metric tons in cell 

phones in storage were recycled in the United States, then 

the copper recovered from cell phones would amount to 1 

percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, of the 225,000 metric 

Figure 3.  Cell

phone life cycle.

Manufacturing

In use Obsolete

Discarded In storage

Refurbishing

Materials

recovery

Other

uses

Disposal

Recycling
Palladium.—The average price of palladium for the period 

2002 through 2004 was $265 per troy ounce (Hilliard, 2005b). 

At this average price, a cell phone contains almost 13 cents 

worth of palladium. The total value of palladium in cell phones 

retired annually, without accounting for the recovery costs, is 

$16 million; the value for obsolete cell phones in storage is 

$63 million.

Platinum.—The average price of platinum for the period 

2002 through 2004 was $696 per troy ounce (Hilliard, 2005b). 

At this average price, a cell phone contains less than 1 cent 

worth of platinum. The total value of platinum in cell phones 

retired annually, without accounting for the recovery costs, is 

nearly $1 million; the value for obsolete cell phones in storage 

is $3.9 million.

These values illustrate that, when large numbers of cell 

phones become obsolete, large quantities of valuable metals end 

up either in storage or in landfills. The amount of metals potentially recoverable would make a significant addition to total 

metals recovered from recycling in the United States and would 

supplement virgin metals derived from mining.

Summary

Recovery and recycling of cell phones are in the early 

stages of development, as is the case for recycling of electronics in general. For cell phone recycling to grow, recycling must 

become economically viable. Efficient recovery infrastructure, 

product designs that simplify dismantling, and other changes are 

needed to facilitate the growth of cell phone recycling.

References Cited

Amey, E.B., 2005, Gold: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2005, p. 72–73. (Also available online at 

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2005/mcs2005.pdf.)

Charny, Ben, 2005, U.S. cell tally—180 million users and 

counting: CNET.com Web site at http://news.com.com/

U.S.+cell+tally+180+million+users+and+counting/

2110-1039_3-5615778.html. (Accessed March 28, 2005.)

Edelstein, D.L., 2005, Copper: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2005, p. 54–55. (Also available 

online at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2005/

mcs2005.pdf.)

Environmental Literacy Council, 2004, Life cycle of a cell 

phone: Environmental Literacy Council Web site at 

http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1119.php. 

(Accessed January 21, 2005.)

Fishbein, B.K., 2002, Waste in the wireless world—The challenge of cell phones: New York, N.Y., INFORM, Inc., 81 p.

Gartner Inc., 2005, Gartner says mobile phone sales will exceed 

one billion in 2009: Gartner Inc. Web site at 

http://www.gartner.com/press_releases/asset_132473_11.html. 

(Accessed August 29, 2005.)

Heine, Seth, 2002, Interview with Seth Heine: CollectiveGood, 

Inc., Web site at http://www.collectivegood.com/about.asp. 

(Accessed April 7, 2005.)

Hilliard, H.E., 2005a, Silver: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral 

Commodity Summaries 2005, p. 150–151. (Also available 

online at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2005/

mcs2005.pdf.)

Hilliard, H.E., 2005b, Platinum-group metals: U.S. Geological 

Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2005, p. 124–125. 

(Also available online at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/

pubs/mcs/2005/mcs2005.pdf.)

Mobile Takeback Forum, 2005, FAQ: What is a mobile phone 

made from?: Mobile Takeback Forum Web site at 

http://www.mobiletakeback.co.uk/. (Accessed January 21, 2005.)

Most, Eric, 2003, Calling all cell phones—Collection, reuse, 

and recycling programs in the U.S.: New York, N.Y., 

INFORM, Inc., 48 p.

Nokia, 2005, Nokia 3595 phone features: Nokia Web site at 

http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/3595/0,2803,feat:1,00.html. 

(Accessed February 16, 2005.)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005, eCycling: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency Web site at http://www.

epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/faq.htm. 

(Accessed January 10, 2006.)

By Daniel E. Sullivan

For more information, please contact

Daniel E. Sullivan

U.S. Geological Survey

Box 25046

Denver Federal Center, Mail Stop 750

Denver, CO 80225–0046

Telephone: 303–236–8747 x267

E-mail: desulliv@usgs.gov

Figure 4.  Components (in weight percent) in a typical cell phone in

2000 (data modified from Mobile Takeback Forum, 2005).

Plastics

58% Metals

25%

Ceramics

16%

Flame

retardant

1%