Over 3.2 million GSM phones lie unused in Belgian drawers, according to Recupel, which will launch a collection campaign codenamed ‘Phuneral’ on 22 September in Brussels.
“You could say this is an enormous unused recycling potential since Recupel is capable of reusing 99% of the material of a GSM,” Recupel noted on Wednesday. “By investing in urban mining, we shall have increasingly less need to resort to traditional mining, a good point for man and the environment,” added the organisation, which collects used electrical and electronic appliances.
According to Recupel, barely 8% of GSM phones are recycled. “One of the main reasons for this failure lies in the sentimental value given to objects,” it noted. “A smartphone contains, in fact, many souvenirs and photos.”
Phuneral is a symbolic campaign aimed at raising public awareness on the need to recycle GSM phones. It will be launched at the Chapelle des Brigittines in Brussels at 11 a.m. on 22 September.
The Brussels Times
