Cell phones quickly become junk.
Many devices are not worth repairing.
According to a survey, Germans are open to a cell phone deposit.
Osnabrück - Who doesn't know it - the new iPhone has barely come out when a new one has to be found. The old model, already slightly scratched or already with other flaws, ends up in the garbage. This should now be the end of it: According to a Forsa survey, a clear majority of German citizens can imagine a deposit on cell phones in order to ensure the recycling of valuable raw materials. Broken or old devices often gather dust in drawers or end up illegally in household waste, the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU) announced on Sunday in Osnabrück. The digital association Bitkom estimate that almost 200 million mobile phones are lying around unused in this country. They contained valuable raw materials such as copper, cobalt and tantalum as well as silver, gold and nickel or rare earths.According to the representative survey on behalf of the DBU, a total of 87 percent of those surveyed consider a cell phone deposit to be “very good” or “good”.
"Electronic waste is becoming a massive problem in Germany and around the world," said DBU General Secretary Alexander Bonde.
The desire of the citizens should also be understood as a "wake-up call to the legislature".
In order to stop the depletion of resources, incentives for the reuse and further use of raw materials are needed.
It is important to get away from an "ex and hopping mentality".
Cell phone repairs are not often worthwhile because they are expensive
When asked about the repairability of products such as household appliances, cell phones and televisions, 91 percent said that repairs are often not financially worthwhile because they are expensive.
A large majority of respondents (84 percent) were of the opinion that manufacturers designed the products in such a way that they only last a little longer than the statutory warranty period.
Three quarters of those questioned stated that it was too time-consuming to find a suitable provider for the repair.
Bonde spoke of a dramatic e-waste situation.
Almost 54 million tons were generated worldwide in 2019 - from monitors to cell phones to refrigerators.
This is around 7.3 kilograms per capita per year globally and around 10.3 kilograms in Germany.
In the case of cell phones, for example, around 80 percent of the components are recyclable.
(dpa)