Answer:
Cell phones or mobile phones, tablets, and other personal communication devices have become ubiquitous. During 2007-2016, more than seven billion cell phones have been sold. Depending on the user’s desire for changing products, and the amount of damage it can take, a cell phone has a life of 2.5-4 years, after which it is discarded (Statista). Some phones of premium brands such as Apple and Samsung are resold in the resale market, while other brands are scrapped, adding to the electronic or e-waste.
The amount of scrap salvaged, where workers manually extract copper, gold, and other metals from the motherboard and electrical circuit are, very low. The rest is discarded, melted, crushed, and disposed of in landfills. Discarded phones and the supply chain for cell phone parts manufacturing create substantial levels of pollution (Yin et al. 518).
