To mark the World Environment Day, mobile phone operator Grameenphone (GP) today launched a countrywide “Mobile Handset Recycling” campaign for greener environment.
Under this campaign, GP urges interested patrons to deposit their unused/discarded mobile handset in a drop box located at their nearest Grameenphone Centre (GPC).
GP will recycle these unused or discarded handsets to ensure that all recyclable materials and any potentially harmful substances inside the device will be processed properly.
Department of Environment Director General Raisul Alam Mondal opened the campaign at GPC in city’s Farmgate, said a GP release.
BTRC Director General Brigadier General M Nasim Parvez, Grameenphone CEO Michael Foley and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Mahmud Hossain were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Raisul Alam Mondal said GP’s initiative to recycle handset has added a new dimension to the environment conservation in Bangladesh.
He requested BTRC to include other stakeholders to this initiative.
The recycling work will be performed in Bangladesh and abroad in accordance with ISO 14000, OSHAS 18000, and R2 standards. All GPC’s around the country and Grameenphone Circle offices will receive handsets for recycling around the year.
Mobile handsets contain a number of harmful chemicals, including mercury, cadmium, lead, beryllium and flame retardants. If disposed of incorrectly or if disposed in a landfill, these toxins may leak out and contaminate the soil and the drinking water.
The amount of cadmium in one mobile phone battery could be enough to contaminate around six hundred thousand litres of water. Flame retardants, lead and beryllium used in the making of mobile phones can cause many serious illnesses, including cancer, liver damage and damage to nervous systems due to exposure.
Besides, Mercury is used in the mobile phone’s displays and circuit boards. Mercury exposure contributes to brain and kidney damage. One teaspoon of mercury can contaminate a 20 acre-lake forever, reports BSS.
