Last updated April 12, 2019
The recycling of old cell phones and other forms of electronic waste is not a high priority of most in the business community, according to an industry watcher. The global research director of research and advisory company CSC, David Moschella, says that the majority of enterprise has the recycling of e-waste well down their list of priorities, for the simple reason that it is not “financially attractive”. Most prefer to outsource their recycling of such items to third party firms that may not always be legitimate or handle their obligations in a responsible and ethical manner, a fact that he claims companies would “rather not call attention to”. Moschella also claims that the problem of e-waste is only going to continue to get worse due to the sheer amount of cell phones and other electrical items that continue to be manufactured and then used up and thrown away.
Moschella’s bleak viewpoint is not shared by all with an interest in the responsible recycling of electronic waste, however, with Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Tom Dowdall refuting his claims. He insisted that many businesses do take e-waste recycling seriously because it can cut down on the cost of raw materials, and that with new laws such as the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive basically forcing unwilling companies into doing the right thing, the situation can actually only get better, not worse.