Despite the popularity of the mobile phone recycling industry, handsets only contribute towards a small percentage of the overall e-waste accumulation.

 

According to a study by the US Environmental Protection Agency, only 11% of electronic waste is made up of mobile devices, the remaining 89% is computers, accessories, televisions and TV peripherals.

 

UK based recyclers Bozowi Sell My Camera stated "Because mobile phone recycling has become such a large business venture over the last decade, people forget that handsets are a relatively small part of e-waste and you should consider recycling all your electrical devices the way you would with your phone."

 

43% of e-waste accretion is digital accessories and in 2010 this accumulated to a staggering 1,015,000 tons, 9% of which are digital cameras.

 

This increasing trend of disposing of cameras is considered to be a by-product of consumers choosing smartphones over digital cameras. The Telegraph reported that from 2006 to 2011 camera sales dropped by £245 million, which corresponds well the massive increases in smartphone popularity over the last eight years.

 

The same report also stated that 21% of camera and camcorder owners agree that smartphones are a better long term investment.