Should you have the opportunity, would you bother to recycle your mobile phone?

In the UK, where 15 million mobile phones are replaced annually, only four per cent of people questioned in a poll for The Body Shop said they would opt for recycling.

In Malta, according to the trade statistics unit of the National Statistics Office, Lm1,114,925 worth of cellular apparatus (mobile phones and related apparatus) were imported between January and October last year.

The head strategy, communications and development of WasteServ Malta Ltd, Christopher Ciantar, said in an interview that by August next year, producers and importers of mobile phones should provide at least for the financing of the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of electronic waste from users.

Electronic waste, which also includes mobile phones, is one of the waste streams which WasteServ was tackling, he said. Such waste is covered by the Waste Electronic Equipment Directive of the EU.

Malta, Dr Ciantar said, was in the process of adopting this directive, which implied that mobile phones were among the items to be recovered for recycling.

He said that, alternatively, producers and importers could opt to set up their own collection schemes and deal with the end of life of these products deposited at their own collection facilities.

Dr Ciantar said the quantity of phones that was discarded depended on return schemes run by local dealers.

Although no disposal statistics existed, WasteServ very rarely handled any of these products primarily because a good resale market existed and old phones were generally resold to other customers. A market for second hand phones still existed in Malta.

"In the meantime, through its information campaigns, WasteServ is to continue to direct companies and householders on the disposal of used electronic equipment such as computers, copiers and fax machines in its commitment to reduce the flow of waste into Maghtab and because of the potential that exists to export this material for recycling.

"As the number of electronic goods continues to increase and in the absence of adequate collection schemes by the private sector, WasteServ must ensure the proper recovery and recycling of electronic products when they were no longer useful," Dr Ciantar said.

Such systems had to be in place by next year, he said, adding that WasteServ had already proposed the introduction of an ecotax on batteries, for example.

Collected used batteries - a small fraction of the batteries actually used - are currently being stored at Marsa.

They started being collected in the mid-1990s and more than 45,000 kilogrammes were collected up to the end of last year. The total collected last year was 9,176 kilogrammes.

The batteries were intended for export but more need to be collected to make the operation viable. The current number would fill one container and their shipment and treatment would cost around 10c per battery. WasteServ, Dr Ciantar said, was seeing what the most viable option would be.

Bins for the collection of used batteries can be found in schools, shops, factories and local councils. Such bins can be collected from WasteServ in Sta Venera.

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