Why Apple insists on recycling phones? Where are all the old iphones?

As many of you know, Apple has always had an Apple Trade in plan for its devices, allowing users to Trade in their old models so they can buy new phones at better prices. If it doesn't fit the trade-in model, apple will recycle it for free. It is understood that apple will dispose of these recycled devices in a way that ultimately turns them into a useful resource for users or the planet. As a result, many people send their old iphones to apple for recycling, either to get a new phone cheaper or to support the environment. But Apple's recycling program has left many wondering where all the old phones that apple has been recycling have gone? Has it been put to good use?

First, there's the issue of security when apple recycles phones. Even with formal recycling channels like apple, and the possibility of a discount, there are still some partners who have been reluctant to recycle their phones out of fear that the privacy of their phones will be compromised. Actually, it's nice to have that sense of security. But apple can rest assured that if you want to make sure your privacy is cleared before recycling, you can personally take your old phone to apple's retail stores for recycling, workers will then use iCloud or a machine to erase the old iPhone's history on the spot. As you all know, one of apple's bright spots is the closed nature of Ios, so you don't have to worry about privacy when your records are erased.

The iPhone has long been a top seller in the global smartphone market, with 225 million units sold in 2018. But compared with sales of phones, Apple's recycling of old phones is much smaller. It is reported that in 2018, apple recycled only about 1 million old iphones, which is less than 0.5% of total sales, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference to the reuse of mobile phones. In fact, apple has been working to recycle its old phones because of its commitment to environmental protection, such as conserving materials, reducing resource extraction, and reducing environmental pollution. Next, it is necessary to talk about the hazards of discarded mobile phones. A mobile phone contains materials such as batteries, metals and so on. If it is not properly handled, it will be thrown away at will, it is easy to cause waste of materials, and even pollution of the environment. According to the data, there are about 400 million discarded mobile phones worldwide every year, only a few of which go into formal recycling channels. Those that don't make it through the proper recycling channels are often treated as ordinary waste. But because of the chemicals in cell phone batteries, as well as mobile phone metals containing lead, mercury and other harmful substances, it is easy to cause soil and air pollution. And many of the materials in old phones can actually be reused. Apple's Apple Trade in program, though, has many benefits of its own, such as boosting the consumer's willingness to buy again and lowering the cost of the phone, but apple doesn't actually make money directly from the swap program. In addition, from an environmental perspective, Apple's recycling program does save resources and support environmental protection, which is a double benefit for both users and apple.

It is reported that the phones recycled by apple will first go through preliminary testing, according to the classification after testing, one will be taken to the renovation, two will be sent to apple's proprietary disassembly robot for disassembly. After the phone is disassembled by a robot, some of the material can then be used to make new devices, such as the cobalt metal that is collected from the disassembled phone, which can then be used to make new batteries. The aluminum material collected from the disassembled phone can be used again on the body shell of the device. Apple has opened a new recycling lab this year, primarily to continue developing technologies for robots and disassembly equipment. At the moment, robot Dasiy is the main "staff" of the recycling lab. Because the IPHONE is so tightly designed, it's very difficult to disassemble compared to other phones. But with a disassembly robot, the process of disassembling a phone is not that difficult. For example, a robot like Dasiy disassembles an average of 200 iphones per hour, compared with 1.2 million devices for apple in 2018. In addition, the robot, Dasiy, cools the adhesive in the phone's battery and hands it over to a worker to reduce the battery's risk. To sum up, from apple has been developing disassembly robot behavior, apple is very concerned about the recycling of mobile phones, but also said that apple is very concerned about environmental aspects. If you're an iPhone user, would you choose to recycle your old phone after reading the above?