According to a report from Kuaikeji on October 30th， a question arises about consumer replacement cycles for mobile phones and the subsequent handling of old devices.
The China Association of Circular Economy estimates that China generates over 400 million discarded mobile phones annually. Approximately 60% of these， totaling around 250 million units， are kept idle by consumers at home. Less than 40% enter the market， and a mere 5% are processed through official channels.
Beyond the low recycling prices， concerns over personal data security also present a significant hurdle to the effective recycling of old mobile phones. However， these largely idle devices represent an untapped “resource-rich mine.”
A single mobile phone contains components made from over 60 different elemental materials. Critically， processing one ton of old mobile phones can yield approximately 200 grams of gold， along with other valuable and recyclable materials. The amount of gold extractable from a ton of discarded phones significantly surpasses that obtainable from an equivalent weight of gold ore.
Given the current surge in global gold prices， this presents a compelling economic incentive. What are your thoughts on this potential revenue stream?
A mobile phone’s components comprise over 60 types of elemental materials， including precious metals like gold， silver， palladium， and rhodium， all of which can be recycled. It is estimated that one ton of discarded mobile phones can yield approximately 200 grams of gold， 2200 grams of silver， and 100 kilograms of copper.
