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cell phones are made and what happens to them

when you don’t need them anymore?

Like any product, making a cell phone and its

parts uses natural resources and energy, which

can potentially impact the air, land, and water.

Understanding the life cycle of a product can

help you make environmental choices about

the products you use, and how you dispose of

them. You can help minimize your environmental impact of using a cell phone by:

±Reusing or recycling your phone.

Find ways to reuse or recycle your phone and

accessories when you’re finished with them.

Many companies recycle or reuse cell

phones—visit the “Resources” section of 

this poster for a list of suggestions.

Follow the life-cycle diagram to learn more

about cell phones, their parts, and their 

potential impact on the environment...

Materials Extraction

A cell phone is made up of many materials. 

In general, the handset consists of 40 percent

metals, 40 percent plastics, and 20 percent

ceramics and trace materials. 

± The circuit board (also called a printed

wiring board), located in the handset, is the

“brain” of the cell phone because it controls

all of its functions. 

—Circuit boards are made from mined, raw

materials including copper, gold, lead, nickel,

zinc, beryllium, tantalum, coltan, and other

metals. The manufacturing of these boards

requires crude oil for plastic, and sand and

limestone for fiberglass. Many of these

materials are known as “persistent toxins”

and can stay in the environment for long

periods of time, even after disposal.

± The liquid crystal display (LCD) is a

low-power, flat-panel display on the

front of your phone that shows

information and images. It

becomes opaque (hard to

see through) when electric

current passes through it.

The contrast between the

opaque and transparent

(see-through) areas forms

visible characters.

—Various liquid crystalline substances, either

naturally occurring (such as mercury, a

potentially dangerous substance) or humanmade, are used to make LCDs. LCDs also

require the use of glass or plastic.

± The rechargeable battery is used to

power the phone.

—Cell phones can use several types of batteries: nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH), lithium-ion

(Li-Ion), nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd), or lead acid.

Ni-MH and Ni-Cd batteries contain nickel,

cobalt, zinc, cadmium, and copper. Li-Ion batteries use lithium metallic oxide and carbonbased materials, all mined from the earth.

Materials Processing

Most raw materials must be processed before

manufacturers can use them to make products. For example, in cell phones:

—Crude oil is combined with natural gas and

chemicals in a processing plant to make 

plastic;

—Copper is mined, ground, heated, and treated

with chemicals and electricity to isolate the

pure metal used to make circuit boards and

batteries. The resulting copper pieces are

shipped to a manufacturer where they are

formed into wires and sheets.

Manufacturing

Plastics and fiberglass are used to make the

basic shape of the circuit board, which is

then coated with gold plating. The board is

also composed of several electronic components, connected with circuits and

wires (primarily made of copper)

that are soldered to the board and

secured with protective glues

and coatings.

LCDs are manufactured by

sandwiching liquid crystal

between layers of glass or plastic.

Batteries consist of two separate parts,

called electrodes, made from two different

metals. A liquid substance, called electrolytes,

touches each electrode. When an outside

source of electricity such as an outlet is

applied, chemical reactions between the electrodes and the electrolytes cause an 

electric current to flow, giving batteries their

“juice” or power.

, p

tic (from crude oil

in the earth), aluminum (from ore), or

other materials, all of

which use energy to produce

and can result in waste. Some pac

ever, can be made from recycled m

Useful Life

Unlike other countries, cell phone 

in the United States sell their own 

which are usually not interchange

company to company. Even thoug

now allow consumers to transfer 

number to a new phone company

panies have unique technologies i

phones that only work in

their own networks.

This means that

switching cell

phone companies

can mean having

to purchase a new

phone. One way to

extend the useful life

of your phone and prevent

waste is to use the same compan

ing phone service. Always compa

be sure you get the service and p

right for you.

You can also extend the life of you

taking care of it—protecting it from 

storing it in a case, avoiding dropp

keeping it out of extreme heat and 

away from water and other liquids

A major cell pho

phone batteries 

20 minutes of ta

generator! Othe

and solar-power

replace current b

These new alter

natural resource

Using Less Stuff

Cell phone companies have made great strides in “dematerialization”

(using less materials) as shown by the decreasing size of today’s cell

phones. Years ago, the technology needed for a cell phone would

have filled the entire floor of an office building; now everything 

needed for a cell phone weighs only 7.7 ounces! 

Approximately 20 percent

of American teens (more

girls than boys) own a cell

phone. By the end of 2005,

nearly two-thirds of all U.S.

teens will be wireless!

Today, more than 

1.2 billion cell phones

are in use worldwide.

in the Unite

2003, more 

million pe

cell ph

By 2005, cell 

phones will be discarded

at a rate of more than

125 million phones each

year, resulting in more

than 65,000 tons 

of waste! 

Materials

Processing

Recycling

Manufacturing

Reuse Useful

Life

End-of-Life

Packaging &

Transportation

Cell phone

used for an 

18 months b

replaced—ev

they can fu

much, muc

The use of rechargeable 

batteries in cell phones reduc

amount of waste and toxicity t

posable batteries create. Be su

low the manufacturer’s instruct

charging your batteries so you 

extend their lives as long as po

Between 1999 and 2003, 

2.5 million phones were 

collected to be recycled or

reused, accounting for less than

1 percent of the millions of

phones retired or discarded

each year.

Cell phones consist of nine basic parts,

each of which has its own life cycle:

±Circuit board/printed wiring board

±Liquid crystal display (LCD)

±Battery 

±Antenna

±Keypad

±Microphone

±Speaker

±Plastic casing

±Accessories (such as adapters, headsets,

carrying cases, and decorative face plates)

The Nine Lives of a Cell Phone

Disposal
±Design. A product’s design can influence each

stage of its life cycle and in turn the environment.

Design affects which materials will be used to

manufacture a product. For example, cheaper

materials are often less durable, which means

the product will have a short useful life. Product

design can also prevent waste in many ways.

Products can be designed with modular components that can be easily replaced so that the

entire product does not have to be thrown

away if only one piece breaks. Items

meant to last a long time can

avoid trendy designs so

they are not

thrown away

when they go

out of style.

±Materials Extraction. All products are made

from materials found in or on the earth. “Virgin”

or “raw” materials, such as trees or ore, are

directly mined or harvested from the earth, a

process that can create pollution, use large

amounts of energy, and deplete limited natural

resources. Making new products from materials

that have already been used (recycled materials)

can reduce the amount of raw materials we

need to take from the earth.

±Packaging & Transportation. The use of

packaging can protect products from damage

and provide product information. However, packaging consumes valuable natural resources and

when used excessively can be wasteful. Some

packaging can be made from

recycled materials.

Finished products are

transported in trucks,

planes, and trains to different

locations where they are sold. All of these

forms of transportation burn fossil fuels, which

can contribute to global climate change.

±Use. The way products are used can impact the

environment. For example, products that are

only used once create more waste than products that are used again and again.

±Reuse/Recycling/Disposal. Using a product

over and over again prevents the need to create

the product from scratch, which saves

resources and energy while also preventing pollution. Recycling or re-manufacturing products

also reduces the amount of new materials that

have to be extracted from the earth. Throwing a

product away means that it will end up in a landfill or incinerator and will not be useful again.

p 

when you buy a new phone.

Belt clip: Some people buy belt clips to carry cell phones while not in use. Reusing

or donating your belt clip when you are finished using it prevents waste.

Face plate: Decorative face plates can be trendy and fun, but you don't need them to

use a cell phone. The best way to prevent waste is to simply not buy products you don't need. If you do buy face plates, donate unwanted ones to a

charity or swap them with your friends instead of throwing them away.

Portable games Cell phones have a lot of the same parts as hand-held video game

and CD players: consoles and portable CD players, including speakers, circuit boards, and

LCDs. Old or broken consoles and players can also be reused or recycled

when no longer wanted.

Personal Digital Assistant Advances in cell phone technology have given phones many uses,

(PDA): such as storing phone numbers and searching the Internet. An emerging

trend is to create one device with many uses, such as a PDA that also

functions as a cell phone. This consolidation reduces waste by reducing

the number of individual items a person has to buy.

requires energy and often creates

waste. 

9. Some facilities will recycle ______

batteries when they can no longer

be reused.

10. Cell phones are actually not phones

at all but sophisticated two-way

_______.

11. LCDs are a low-power, flat panel 

display made by sandwiching liquid

______ between layers of glass 

or plastic.

Down

1. Circuits and wires on a circuit board are primarily made from ______. 

2. Ni-MH and Ni-Cd batteries contain nickel, cobalt, cadmium, ______, and copper, metals that need 

to be mined and processed, which creates pollution and waste.

3. Many cell phone parts can be removed from the phone and ______ or recycled.

5. Batteries consist of two separate parts, called _________.

6. Plastics and ______ are used to make the basic shape of a circuit board.

8. Crude oil is combined with natural gas and chemicals to make ______.

Answers

Components Crossword:

Down Across

1. Copper 1. Circuit

2. Zinc 4. Resources

3. Reused 7. Packaged

5. Electrodes 9. Rechargeable

6. Fiberglass 10. Radios

8. Plastic 11. Crystal

Math Activity 1: Cell Phone Users

1. Cell phone users in the United States increased from 340,000 people in 1985 to approximately 

140 million people in 2003. 

A. This means that on average, how many NEW cell phone users are there per year? 

B. In 2003 there were roughly ___ times more American cell phone users than in 1985. 

2. Approximately 20 percent of teenagers in the United States own a mobile phone. 

A. If 200 teenagers go to your school, about how many of them own a cell phone?

B. What if 1,500 teenagers go to your school? Then about how many own a cell phone?

Math Activity 2: On-Hold

1. Did you know that, on average, cell phones are used for only 18 months before being replaced?

Most unused phones are stored in drawers or closets before eventually being thrown away. In fact,

more than 30 million mobile phones are lying unused in American homes and businesses. 

A. If a person buys a new cell phone every 18 months, how many phones will they buy 

in 6 years?

2. Starting in 2005, it is predicted that more than 125 million cell phones—65,000 tons of waste—will

be discarded annually. This potentially serious environmental problem can easily be avoided by

understanding how to reuse and recycle phones, prolonging their useful life.

A. Suppose that 300 million cell phones have already been discarded by the end of 2004. Using

the cell phone discard rate above, how many TOTAL cell phones will be discarded by the end

by 2005?

B. At the predicted 2005 rate of discarding cell phones, how many years will it take to discard 

750 million phones?

C. 750 million discarded cell phones is equal to ___ tons of waste?

D. Can you name three alternatives to throwing out your cell phone?

00

ell phone.

Cell phone

Pager

Camera

Compact disc

Video game

Radio

Sport utility vehicle

Computer

VCR

Answering machine

1. What are some of the end-of-life options for cell phones? List the options and discuss 

the pros and cons of each.

Pros Cons

_________________________________________ ___________________________________________

_________________________________________ ___________________________________________

_________________________________________ ___________________________________________

_________________________________________ ___________________________________________

C

ell phones are complicated products, which

makes recycling or disposing of them just as

complicated. This activity examines options for

reusing, recycling, or disposing of cell phones at

the end of their useful life. It can be a research

project for individuals or assigned to teams for

discussion.

2. Find out what cell phone manufacturers, recyclers, and local authorities have to say about end-of-life

options for cell phones.

± Conduct Internet research or call a company that produces cell phones. Find out what it considers

to be the useful life of a cell phone. Ask what the policy is for accepting its cell phones back for

recycling or remanufacturing.

± Find out what your teachers do with their cell phones at the end of their useful life.

± Contact a local recycling center and ask it if accepts old cell phones.

± Contact a cell phone recycler to learn about its recycling practices and what products are made

from recycled cell phones.

± Contact your local waste management agency and ask what its policy is regarding discarded 

cell phones.

3. After conducting this research, write a summary of your findings, including who you contacted, the

date, and what information you obtained. Or, present the results to your classmates and discuss what

you view to be a good end-of-life choice for cell phones.

Options for Reuse & Recycling

±Collective Good

www.collectivegood.com

Collective Good refurbishes donated cell phones and

uses them to provide affordable wireless service

throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

±Cellular Telecommunications & Internet

Association (CTIA)

www.ctia.org

CTIA is an international association for the wireless

telecommunications industry. 

±Charitable Recycling

www.charitablerecycling.com

Charitable Recycling Program encourages the donation of used cell phones.

±Plug-in to eCycling Program

www.plugintoecycling.org

EPA, in partnership with several companies and

organizations, is helping consumers of electronic

products tap into a network of recycling opportunities nationwide.

±ReCellular, Inc.

www.recellular.com or 

www.wirelessrecycling.com

ReCellular, Inc. is a recycler and reseller of used

wireless phones and accessories.

±Rechargeable Battery Recycling

Corporation (RBRC)

www.rbrc.org

RBRC is a nonprofit, public service organization that

recycles rechargeable batteries.

±The Wireless Foundation

www.wirelessfoundation.org

Established by CTIA, this foundation is involved with

several programs that use wireless communications

to make communities safer, families more secure,

and teachers more effective. 

±National Recycling Coalition’s (NRC’s)

Electronic Recycling Initiative 

www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/

electronics/index.htm

NRC’s Electronics Recycling Initiative promotes the

recovery, reuse, and recycling of obsolete electronic

equipment.

Life Cycle Web Sites

±U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Product Stewardship Program

www.epa.gov/epr

This program provides information on life cycle

environmental impacts of products.

±U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Green Engineering Program

www.epa.gov/opptintr/greenengineering

This program advocates designing products with their

entire life cycle in mind.

±United Nations Environment Programme,

Life Cycle Initiative

www.unepie.org/pc/sustain/lca/lca.htm

This web site provides information about products

and services over their entire life cycle.

Other Information

±HowStuffWorks.com, Inc.

www.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone.htm

This web site provides a straightforward and easyto-read discussion of the technical components of a

cell phone and the technology that makes it work.

±Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)

www.eia.org

A trade association for the electronics industry, 

EIA maintains information on how member companies are incorporating environmental attributes into

electronic products.

The Big Debate: 

Reuse, Recycle, or Dispose?

Resources