Vodafone Could Save Mountains Of Used Tech With Unusual ‘1 For 1’ Scheme

With new devices launching every month, what happens to all the used gadgets that are left behind? 

Unfortunately, due to the rapid advancement of technology, tons of non-recycled electronic waste is piling up in landfills worldwide, resulting in nearly 4,000 Eiffel towers worth of scrap material thrown away annually, says circular innovator Closing the Loop.

To solve this problem, Vodafone Germany has teamed up with Closing the Loop to develop a program to prevent old smartphones from landing up in the trash. 

With a new “one for one” initiative, for every new phone sold by the telecommunications company, one end-of-life device will be collected in a country that lacks a formal recycling process.

The partnership believes the effort could save at least one million devices each year. Plus, at the same time, jobs and income will be generated in countries such as Ghana, where workers will be paid to collect these old gadgets safely. 

Will more technology brands jump in on this concept of “circularity” and help save the planet from more and more e-waste?

[via Tech Times and Closing the Loop, cover image via Oleg Doroshin | Dreamstime.com]