Don't let 6 billion old phones become a hot potato
2024-11-27
According to the People's Daily, out of the 600 million to 700 million discarded mobile phones generated annually in China, 200 million to 300 million are recycled and processed. As the update cycle of mobile phones gradually shortens, the amount of scrapped phones is increasing. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, the total number of idle mobile phones in China will reach 6 billion, and the hidden value of second-hand mobile phones will exceed 600 billion yuan. The standardization, normalization, and facilitation level of the current circulation of old mobile phones is constantly improving, but problems such as data leakage risks, opaque prices, incomplete grading and evaluation systems, and insufficient after-sales support still exist, becoming pain points and difficulties in the circulation of old phones. Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of daily life, and many people have become accustomed to keeping their phones with them. With the rapid development of technology and changing consumer demands, the speed of mobile phone updates and iterations has accelerated, resulting in a large number of old phones being idle. If the recycling rate is not high, it will cause serious resource waste. According to forecast data, there will be 6 billion unused mobile phones in China in the near future. These phones cannot be wasted for nothing, but we need to actively explore recycling mechanisms, create smooth channels, turn waste into treasure, and further tap into the enormous potential of waste phones in resource recycling and the development of circular economy. As is well known, discarded mobile phones are a "treasure trove" containing abundant metal resources such as copper, gold, silver, etc. Through scientific recycling and processing, if these metal resources are reused, it can not only reduce mineral exploration, lower the proportion of resource waste, but also reduce environmental pollution. In addition, many old phones are only replaced and phased out, and are not unusable. They are still functional and can meet the lower needs of some consumers through simple repairs or upgrades, achieving resource reuse. Currently, the recycling chain for used mobile phones is relatively long, and the market operators are complex, diverse, scattered, and weak. There is a lack of leading enterprises and no industry standards to follow. Moreover, there are many problems and chaos in the recycling market, such as poor recycling channels, opaque prices, and the risk of data leakage, which all constrain the effective recycling and utilization of old mobile phones. In view of this, it is necessary for the government, enterprises, and consumers to work together to promote the healthy development of the old mobile phone recycling market. Faced with such a huge market for discarded mobile phones, policy guidance at the national level is particularly important. The government should introduce relevant policies, such as providing tax incentives, funding subsidies, and other incentive measures, to guide legitimate enterprises to actively participate in the recycling and processing of used mobile phones, encourage and support the development of the waste mobile phone recycling and processing industry, and support leading enterprises to grow and strengthen. Relevant departments should strengthen supervision, regulate market order, formulate recycling standards and process norms, crack down on illegal recycling and irregular handling behaviors, prohibit violent dismantling and disposal causing environmental pollution, strengthen user data protection, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Enterprises should actively fulfill their social responsibilities, increase research and development investment, develop more efficient recycling and processing technologies, and improve the recycling rate and resource utilization of used mobile phones. At the same time, enterprises should strengthen internal management to ensure the safety and compliance of the recycling and disposal process of used mobile phones, improve their own integrity and sense of responsibility, and ensure the safety and transparency of the transaction process. Enterprises should also actively innovate, enhance the reuse value of old mobile phones, fully tap into the market value of waste mobile phones, and meet the diverse needs of consumers. Consumers should enhance their awareness of environmental protection and conservation, and actively participate in the recycling of old mobile phones. At the same time, we should enhance our awareness of reasonable and safe consumption, and try to choose formal channels to hand over used mobile phones to professional recycling institutions for disposal, avoiding littering or selling them to informal channels, and avoiding falling into consumption traps. Consumers can also choose to purchase second-hand or refurbished phones, reducing the demand for new phones and minimizing resource waste. In short, 6 billion idle mobile phones are both a challenge and an opportunity. By making more efforts to make consumer transactions more reassuring and resource utilization more efficient, idle phones will no longer be difficult to handle as "hot potatoes". In this process, we can not only achieve an improvement in economic benefits, but also promote the development of the economy and society towards a greener and more sustainable direction, leaving a better home for future generations. (New Society)
Edit：Luo yu Responsible editor：Wang xiao jing
Source：Beijing Youth Daily
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