Mobile phone manufacturers and importers would be required to install mobile phone recycling facilities at retail stores and to reach government-mandated recycling goals by April 1 next year, a draft of guidelines announced by the Ministry of Environment suggested.
The draft guidelines, which were announced on Thursday, state that while more than 6 million mobile phones are sold annually in Taiwan, people often keep old mobile phones in their homes after buying new ones as they store massive amounts of personal data on them.
“Considering that a mobile phone contains 70 chemical elements, including precious and rare metals, a proper channel of recycling would help facilitate the reuse of these rare resources, avoid risks to the environment and reduce carbon emissions,” the guidelines said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Environmental Protection Bureau
An estimated 220,000kWh of electricity would be conserved if 10,000 mobile phones are recycled, equivalent to a reduction of 140 tonnes of carbon emission, the ministry said.
A previous ministry survey showed that 34 percent of the respondents cited lack of incentives as the main reason that they did not want to have their mobile phones recycled, while 28 percent cited access to recycling stations as the main factor.
About 10 percent said they would have their mobile phones recycled only after they are no longer usable, while another 10 percent hope that there are services available to help delete personal data on the phones, the survey showed.
The draft guidelines require mobile phone manufacturers and importers to have stickers of the government-designed recycling sign on their products, while displaying the recycling sign in their retail stores to indicate that they comply with Resource Circulation Administration’s mobile phone recycling policy.
Mobile phone manufacturers and importers must have recycling facilities available at their retailers and they should also take precautionary measures to prevent personal data leaks as they offer incentives for consumers to recycle their phones, the guidelines suggested.
The guidelines also require manufacturers and importers to gradually increase their product recycling rate to 15 percent by 2025 and to 30 percent by 2030.
Although Taiwan’s mobile phone recycling rate reached a record-high 12 percent last year, it was still behind Japan and countries in Europe and North America, which had recycling rates higher than 15 percent in recent years, the ministry said.
Businesses contravening the guidelines would be fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 and ordered to rectify the situation, the guidelines said, adding that they would be fined as long as they neglect addressing the issue.
The Taipei Computer Association (台北市電腦公會) is offering a platform and integrating different channels to help mobile phone manufacturers and importers elevate recycling rates in their stores, the ministry said.
People can also have their mobile phones recycled by garbage collection services, telecom providers and convenience stores, it said.
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