The O2 community’s transfer to modify off 3G subsequent month might see £13 million value of e-waste generated, in keeping with enterprise waste assortment agency BusinessWaste.co.uk.
The 3G switch-off on O2’s community is anticipated to have an effect on roughly 4.3 million individuals throughout the UK.1 It might generate an unlimited 70,516 kilograms of e-waste, said WEEE specialists with the grouproughly the identical weight as 5.9 double-decker buses. And the supplies from scrapping these outdated telephones may very well be value £13,769,488.2
Copper is essentially the most ample metallic present in units with 68,800 kilograms being generated from 4.3 million outdated units, value a complete of £509,808. Silver falls in second place with a complete of 1,505 kilograms generated at a worth of £1,223,535.
Gold is clearly essentially the most precious materials current in these cellphone, and 146 kilograms may very well be retrieved from them, with a worth of £10,397,184.
Of comparable worth is palladium inside telephones, which is anticipated to generate 65 kilograms of waste, valued at £1,638,961.
What’s the swap off?
O2 shall be switching off its 3G community beginning in April 2025. The switch-off will start within the Durham space earlier than shifting throughout the UK. Whereas different networks akin to Vodafone and EE have already switched off their networks, O2’s is important as a result of giant variety of prospects it impacts.
Networks like Tesco Cell, GiffGaff, and Virgin Media all use the O2 community, which means it’s going to additionally have an effect on their prospects. Due to this fact, it’s estimated the switch-off might affect greater than 4.3 million Brits.
The pondering behind switching off 3G networks is that it’ll permit extra capability and liberate “spectrum” that can be utilized to increase 4G and 5G networks. This could assist to fight sign useless spots. The federal government set a deadline of 2033 to part out each 3G and 2G.
Why will it generate e-waste?
With some units solely ready to hook up with knowledge by 3G expertise, these will now not make calls, ship texts, or connect with the web as soon as the community is switched off. Consequently, any such units develop into unfit for goal and customers should swap to a more moderen mannequin.
Due to this fact, they’re prone to discard their outdated units indirectly.
What can customers and the business do?
The most suitable choice for any outdated 3G units is to recycle them. As much as 80% of the supplies in your cellphone are recyclable, and plenty of supplies carry worth in the event that they’re extracted and reused.
Many locations supply recycling schemes that may pay you to recycle your outdated machine akin to O2 Recycle and Cash Magpie. There’s even a devoted comparability web site to make sure you get one of the best deal to your outdated electronics, Evaluate and Recycle.
Mark Corridor, WEEE professional at Enterprise Waste, feedback: “The choice to modify off 3G and 2G networks will inevitably result in an enormous quantity of e-waste and go away a big effect on the environment. E-waste is the world’s fastest-growing strong waste stream with greater than 50 million tonnes generated globally every year.
“Nonetheless, the excellent news is that with the vast majority of supplies in our units recyclable, you possibly can look to cut back your carbon footprint. By doing this you possibly can scale back e-waste and forestall it going to landfill.
“E-waste that ends up in landfills can cause damage to our soil, ecosystems, and even human populations as hazardous substances leak out and contaminate the environment. So it’s especially important to ensure you recycle old devices responsibly.”
Notes
(1) https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2025/01/survey-claims-4-3-million-uk-people-may-lose-o2-data-access-after-3g-switch-off.html#google_vignette
(2) A hyperlink to the research is supplied right here: https://www.businesswaste.co.uk/news/3g-switch-off-could-generate-13-7m-of-e-waste/
