An exciting new upgrade or an epic unexpected failure can both bring about the discard of a formerly well-loved cell phone. Saving an old mobile model in the event of a breakdown may seem like the best option to avoid unnecessary waste, but dumped in desk drawer or failing to decompose in a landfill aren't too many steps apart: the unused cell loses resale value, not to mention its novelty, each day it sits and tends to end up in the trash later despite the best intentions.
"What to do with old phones is no small issue," MSNBC reports. "The United States alone has more than 200 million cell phone subscribers, and about 5 million of those change carriers each month, which usually means getting a new phone."
"Even when they don't change carriers, people often change phones to take advantage of improved technology, innovative features and changing fashions." For example, Californians alone are said to throw away about 44,000 cell phones every day.
"The average user gets a new phone about every 18 months," CellForCash.com CEO James Mosieur estimates, "and they end up retiring the old one."
Casandra Armour
