How Does a Cell Phone Get Recycled Into New Materials?

Sorting

Cell phones arrive at the recycling facility after being picked up from a consumer drop-off location, such as a mall or library. Cell phones are placed into one bin and and the chargers into another, since copper from the wiring and components can be extracted from the charger. Cell phones that are reusable (which may have been recycled due to a customer upgrade) are tested for functionality, wiped of personal data and reconfigured.

Parts

After sorting, cell phones that contain some usable parts are stripped of those parts. Components such a memory, LCD screens and processors may be used in the refurbishment of other phones or may even be compatible with newer models. Refurbished phones may be given to customers through warranty programs, resold by vendors or given to a charity.

Smelting

Unusable cell phones are sent off to smelting centers. These recycling facilities use high temperature furnaces to obtain precious metals like gold, silver and palladium. The petroleum-based plastics from cell phones can help fuel the smelting process. The broken down components of the phones are fed into the smelter via a conveyor belt and heated until they become a lava-like liquid.The liquid exits the smelter into a container where an agitate--like an acid--is mixed in. The agitate causes the molecules of metals like copper to congregate at the top or bottom of the container. And when the fiery liquid cools, the metals can be removed from the container.