London : Roughly 5.3 billion mobile or smartphones will drop out of use this year, and only a small number of them will be disposed off properly, according to a report.
Brussels-based Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum conducted surveys to understand why so many households and businesses fail to bring electronic gadgets in for repair or recycling.
The surveys show that, of the 8,775 European households across five European Union countries – Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Romania and Slovenia – and a separate UK survey, the average household contains 74 e-products such as phones, tablets, laptops, electric tools, hair dryers, toasters and other appliances (excluding lamps).