A Sustainable Approach to Mobile Phone Waste Management

Abstract

Informal practices (IPs) combined with scientific technology can be built for environmentally safer and regulated processing. Field investigations at three major mobile phone waste markets in India demonstrated the dominant role of the informal sector, which manages ∼95% of the waste stream through collection, trading, and processing activities. The scientifically enhanced IP proposed in this study offers a cost-effective and operationally simple approach to mobile phone waste management, with a strong emphasis on component reuse and circular resource utilization. This study involves X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared, and inductively coupled plasma analysis to scientifically validate IPs and develop a nondestructive material recovery pathway. It is mentioned here that the reusability of integrated circuits (ICs) from waste mobile phones can be indicated by a code displayed on the front, offering information about their storage, application, and usage. Similarly, batteries also follow a definite coding system defining the composition, shape, and size of the battery. Incorporating insights from this research, mobile phone waste components such as ICs, motherboards, and cameras, traditionally resold and reused in IPs, can be technologically enhanced to enable more efficient recycling and reuse (R/R) processes.