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This week, Blackberry smartphones running BlackBerry OS stopped working after Blackberry discontinued its ‘legacy services and software’.
Devices including the BlackBerry 10, 7.1 OS and earlier could no longer be used for calls, texts, data or even ‘9-1-1 functionality’, essentially making them useless.
The question owners now face is what to do with their device.
When most of us replace our old mobile phone, it’s often passed to a friend or family member, or sold second hand. And there are loads of shops and websites which will take your old device for varying amounts of cash.
But for Blackberries and other obsolete devices, that’s not going to be an option. Nobody wants to buy a ‘bricked’ device, so they have zero cash value.
The first reaction for many owners would be to bin the worthless chunk of metal and plastic, but UK waste collection company Divert.co.uk says that rubbish dumps are already filled with electronic devices which should have gone to recycling.
As well as being a waste of resources, this also poses risks due to their contents.
Pollution and fire risks are caused by dumped mobile phone batteries that contain lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.
Around 70% of metals that end up in landfill sites come from old electronics, the majority of which are obsolete mobile phones.
These devices contain precious and semi-precious metals such as cobalt, copper, gold, silver and lithium.
The best place for your defunct Blackberry is your local authority small electrics (WEEE) recycling point
‘It’s madness that millions of these are buried in the ground at tips outside virtually every town when the material could be put to use elsewhere.
‘A phone battery is perfectly safe left as it is, but the moment it’s damaged by weight of other rubbish at the tip, it’s just inviting pollution, fire and other risks. And that’s why you should never bin an old mobile phone.’
MARK HALL
Divert.co.uk
Our best advice is to either recycle or keep it as a treasured possession from years gone by. Either way, your grandchildren will thank you.
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