(ECNS) -- Low prices, lack of a well-established recycling system and worries over privacy leaks have hindered used mobile phones from being recycled in China, industry experts say, urging relative authorities to release specific rules to better promote industry development.
There are about 1 billion used mobile phones in China currently, but only 2 percent are recycled, according to Xiong Zhou, partner with huishoubao.com, a major player in the digital equipment recycling industry.
Sun Wenping, president of Shenzhen Mobile Communications Association, said 90 percent of people buy new phones to replace their old devices, but most old handsets do not find their way back into use.
There were 1,446 new types of phones on sale in China last year, with 560 million handsets sold. A survey conducted in 2014 showed that about 50 percent of users had bought new phones in the previous 18 months.
Though the value in recycled phones is fairly high it was not properly handled, said Zhang Xiaozhen, founder of refone.com.cn, another online digital product recycling platform. About 150 grams of gold can be extracted from each ton of discarded mobile phones, it was added. Other precious metals such as silver and palladium are also available, while improper disposal of mobile phones may cause environmental pollution, experts said.
On jd.com, the average price for a used iPhone 7 is 3,258 yuan ($472), much lower than the 5,388 yuan for a new handset. Tian Mu, chief public relations officer with aihuishou.com, said that many people cannot accept the price gap.
Smart phones hold a lot of personal information, said a white-collar worker surnamed Tian in Shenzhen, adding that the risk of information leaks has stopped her from selling her old phones.
The number of enterprises focused on phone reprocessing is also relatively low compared to other industries, said Tian Mu with aihuishou.com, adding that the phone recycling industry requires high investment and professional knowledge. In addition, the industry lacks subsidies and government support.
Xiong said the government has started to pay more attention to the situation. A new version of the electronic product waste treatment catalog will cover mobile phones, meaning the handset recycling industry may gain official funding.
"We hope that the government can issue details on subsidies for the industry and promote development,” he said.
