The Life Cycle Of A Cell Phone (Page 2 of 2) in pdf

What Is a Life Cycle?

Words from the Wise

What Is a Life Cycle?

Hand-Held Hunt

Components Crossword

ome of the things that are part of your every

First, write down your views on whether the fol-

hether at school, home, or out running

Consider whether the people

se the following clues about the different parts of a cell phone to fill in the crossword.

±Materials Processing.

ave you ever considered where the products

Once materials are

day life didn’t exist when your grandparents

lowing items are necessary or optional, and why.

errands, people use hand-held electronic

are kids, teenagers, or adults

you use every day come from, or what

extracted, they must be converted into a form

were your age. While we might think we

Then interview an older relative or friend (more

devices everywhere they go. Take an infor-

and whether they are male

happens to them when you finish using them?

that can be used to make products. For exam-

need these things, many people got along fine

than 50 years old) to ask what they think about

mal survey to find out who uses the following

or female. For example,

Across

Do you know how each of the products you use

ple, paper is made from trees, but the wood has

without them in times past.

the same things. Compare and discuss your

items in the various locations you visit during a

spend a half-hour at the mall and

to undergo several different processes before

impacts the environment?

answers. How different or similar are they?

single day. This activity will illustrate how many

identify how many people in each category are

1. The battery, the LCD, and the ______

we can use it.

Compare your thoughts on the following items

Why? Discuss how new products reduce waste,

people own and use cell phones and their acces-

board create 98 percent of a cell

using the items listed below. Perhaps adult men

Just as living things are born, get older, and die,

with those of someone older than you.

and how new products increase waste.

sories. You may discover interesting trends in who

use belt clips more than younger women. Is that

phone’s environmental impacts.

±Manufacturing.

products also complete a life cycle. Each stage of a

Products are made in facto-

Here’s how:

is buying and using cell phones and their acces-

true? Find answers to these questions, and turn

product’s life cycle can affect the environment in

ries and require a great deal of energy to create.

4. Cell phones that are thrown away

sories in your community!

your results into a graph or chart.

Item

Your Thoughts

Older Generation’s Thoughts

different ways. Some products, such as cell

The manufacturing process can also produce

waste energy and result in the loss

phones, have many different components, each of

pollution. Many products require the use of

of valuable _______.

Microwave oven

which has its own life cycle in addition to the life

packaging as well, to prevent spoilage, damage,

7. Each part of a cell phone must be

cycle of the composite product. The stages of a

contamination, and tampering.

Headset:

Many people use a cell phone headset while they are driving or walking

______ and transported, which

product’s life cycle usually include:

around to keep their hands free. Most models of headsets can be reused

±Packaging & Transportation.

requires energy and often creates

The use of

when you buy a new phone.

±Design.

waste.

A product’s design can influence each

packaging can protect products from damage

Cell phone

stage of its life cycle and in turn the environment.

and provide product information. However, pack-

9. Some facilities will recycle ______

Design affects which materials will be used to

aging consumes valuable natural resources and

Belt clip:

batteries when they can no longer

Some people buy belt clips to carry cell phones while not in use. Reusing

when used excessively can be wasteful. Some

manufacture a product. For example, cheaper

be reused.

or donating your belt clip when you are finished using it prevents waste.

materials are often less durable, which means

packaging can be made from

the product will have a short useful life. Product

recycled materials.

10. Cell phones are actually not phones

Pager

design can also prevent waste in many ways.

at all but sophisticated two-way

Face plate:

Products can be designed with modular compo-

Finished products are

Decorative face plates can be trendy and fun, but you don't need them to

_______.

use a cell phone. The best way to prevent waste is to simply not buy prod-

nents that can be easily replaced so that the

transported in trucks,

11. LCDs are a low-power, flat panel

entire product does not have to be thrown

planes, and trains to different

ucts you don't need. If you do buy face plates, donate unwanted ones to a

display made by sandwiching liquid

away if only one piece breaks. Items

locations where they are sold. All of these

charity or swap them with your friends instead of throwing them away.

Camera

______ between layers of glass

meant to last a long time can

forms of transportation burn fossil fuels, which

or plastic.

avoid trendy designs so

can contribute to global climate change.

Portable games

they are not

Cell phones have a lot of the same parts as hand-held video game

±Use.

and CD players:

Down

thrown away

The way products are used can impact the

consoles and portable CD players, including speakers, circuit boards, and

when they go

environment. For example, products that are

LCDs. Old or broken consoles and players can also be reused or recycled

1. Circuits and wires on a circuit board are primarily made from ______.

out of style.

only used once create more waste than prod-

Compact disc

when no longer wanted.

ucts that are used again and again.

2. Ni-MH and Ni-Cd batteries contain nickel, cobalt, cadmium, ______, and copper, metals that need

to be mined and processed, which creates pollution and waste.

±Materials Extraction.

±Reuse/Recycling/Disposal.

All products are made

Using a product

Personal Digital Assistant

Advances in cell phone technology have given phones many uses,

from materials found in or on the earth. “Virgin”

over and over again prevents the need to create

3. Many cell phone parts can be removed from the phone and ______ or recycled.

(PDA):

such as storing phone numbers and searching the Internet. An emerging

or “raw” materials, such as trees or ore, are

the product from scratch, which saves

Video game

trend is to create one device with many uses, such as a PDA that also

5. Batteries consist of two separate parts, called _________.

directly mined or harvested from the earth, a

resources and energy while also preventing pol-

functions as a cell phone. This consolidation reduces waste by reducing

process that can create pollution, use large

lution. Recycling or re-manufacturing products

6. Plastics and ______ are used to make the basic shape of a circuit board.

the number of individual items a person has to buy.

amounts of energy, and deplete limited natural

also reduces the amount of new materials that

resources. Making new products from materials

have to be extracted from the earth. Throwing a

8. Crude oil is combined with natural gas and chemicals to make ______.

that have already been used (recycled materials)

product away means that it will end up in a land-

Radio

can reduce the amount of raw materials we

fill or incinerator and will not be useful again.

need to take from the earth.

Math Activity 1: Cell Phone Users

Resources

The Big Debate:

Sport utility vehicle

Options for Reuse & Recycling

Reuse, Recycle, or Dispose?

Cell phone users in the United States increased from 340,000 people in 1985 to approximately

Collective Good

140 million people in 2003.

National Recycling Coalition’s (NRC’s)

Electronic Recycling Initiative

This means that on average, how many NEW cell phone users are there per year?

Collective Good refurbishes donated cell phones and

Computer

ell phones are complicated products, which

the end of their useful life. It can be a research

uses them to provide affordable wireless service

In 2003 there were roughly ___ times more American cell phone users than in 1985.

electronics/index.htm

throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

makes recycling or disposing of them just as

project for individuals or assigned to teams for

NRC’s Electronics Recycling Initiative promotes the

complicated. This activity examines options for

discussion.

Cellular Telecommunications & Internet

recovery, reuse, and recycling of obsolete electronic

reusing, recycling, or disposing of cell phones at

equipment.

Approximately 20 percent of teenagers in the United States own a mobile phone.

Association (CTIA)

Life Cycle Web Sites

If 200 teenagers go to your school, about how many of them own a cell phone?

VCR

CTIA is an international association for the wireless

What are some of the end-of-life options for cell phones? List the options and discuss

telecommunications industry.

the pros and cons of each.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

What if 1,500 teenagers go to your school? Then about how many own a cell phone?

Pros

Cons

Product Stewardship Program

Charitable Recycling

This program provides information on life cycle

_________________________________________

___________________________________________

Charitable Recycling Program encourages the dona-

Math Activity 2: On-Hold

environmental impacts of products.

tion of used cell phones.

Answering machine

_________________________________________

___________________________________________

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Plug-in to eCycling Program

Green Engineering Program

_________________________________________

___________________________________________

EPA, in partnership with several companies and

Did you know that, on average, cell phones are used for only 18 months before being replaced?

_________________________________________

___________________________________________

This program advocates designing products with their

organizations, is helping consumers of electronic

Most unused phones are stored in drawers or closets before eventually being thrown away. In fact,

entire life cycle in mind.

products tap into a network of recycling opportuni-

more than 30 million mobile phones are lying unused in American homes and businesses.

ties nationwide.

United Nations Environment Programme,

Find out what cell phone manufacturers, recyclers, and local authorities have to say about end-of-life

If a person buys a new cell phone every 18 months, how many phones will they buy

Life Cycle Initiative

ReCellular, Inc.

options for cell phones.

in 6 years?

United States

Conduct Internet research or call a company that produces cell phones. Find out what it considers

Environmental Protection Agency

This web site provides information about products

Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5305W)

to be the useful life of a cell phone. Ask what the policy is for accepting its cell phones back for

and services over their entire life cycle.

EPA530-H-04-002

ReCellular, Inc. is a recycler and reseller of used

recycling or remanufacturing.

Starting in 2005, it is predicted that more than 125 million cell phones—65,000 tons of waste—will

wireless phones and accessories.

August 2004

Other Information

be discarded annually. This potentially serious environmental problem can easily be avoided by

Find out what your teachers do with their cell phones at the end of their useful life.

Rechargeable Battery Recycling

understanding how to reuse and recycle phones, prolonging their useful life.

, Inc.

Corporation (RBRC)

Contact a local recycling center and ask it if accepts old cell phones.

Suppose that 300 million cell phones have already been discarded by the end of 2004. Using

Contact a cell phone recycler to learn about its recycling practices and what products are made

This web site provides a straightforward and easy-

RBRC is a nonprofit, public service organization that

the cell phone discard rate above, how many TOTAL cell phones will be discarded by the end

to-read discussion of the technical components of a

from recycled cell phones.

recycles rechargeable batteries.

by 2005?

cell phone and the technology that makes it work.

Contact your local waste management agency and ask what its policy is regarding discarded

The Wireless Foundation

cell phones.

At the predicted 2005 rate of discarding cell phones, how many years will it take to discard

Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)

750 million phones?

Established by CTIA, this foundation is involved with

A trade association for the electronics industry,

several programs that use wireless communications

750 million discarded cell phones is equal to ___ tons of waste?

EIA maintains information on how member compa-

After conducting this research, write a summary of your findings, including who you contacted, the

to make communities safer, families more secure,

nies are incorporating environmental attributes into

date, and what information you obtained. Or, present the results to your classmates and discuss what

and teachers more effective.

Can you name three alternatives to throwing out your cell phone?

electronic products.

you view to be a good end-of-life choice for cell phones.

The Life Cycle Of A Cell Phone Page 2

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories