INFORM’s Report on Waste in the Wireless World (The Challenge of Cell Phones) : by Bette K. Fishbein

Description

This INFORM Report analyzes the environmental problems created by cell phones, which also apply to other wireless electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants, portable e-mail devices, pagers, pocket PCs, and MP3 music players. All are made of similar materials and present problems with respect to the waste they generate. Wireless waste poses particularly acute problems when these small devices are sent to landfills or incinerators, where the release of the many toxic materials they contain creates threats to human health and the environment.

INFORM, Inc. is an independent research organization that examines the effects of business practices on the environment and on human health. Our goal is to identify ways of doing business that ensure environmentally sustainable economic growth. Our reports are used by government, industry, and environmental leaders around the world. We have earned a reputation for thorough, accurate analysis and clear, solution-oriented reporting.

Extended Producer Responsibility. For over a decade, INFORM has been a leader in the study of closed-loop materials systems and the practical application of extended producer responsibility (EPR), a policy approach designed to encourage environmentally preferable product redesign by holding manufacturers responsible for their products at end of life. INFORM has published over 100 reports, including five studies on extended producer responsibility and more than a dozen manuals for businesses, policy makers, schools, and communities on strategies for preventing wastes at their source.