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Do the phones actually get recycled? (This is a genuine question.)

Klonoar 4y ago
https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2022.pdf https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Pr... Their environmental reports that they release each year indicate that they do, yes. It also looks like there's an audit report in there as well that logs the recycled materials as verified (page 109).
- CogitoCogito 4y ago
  It's a bit unclear to me what that page 109 really means. It says a certain amount of materials were removed by recycling contractors whatever that means. Apologies if I'm missing something in that document. What I'd really like are answers to the questions I posed here: > I see that e.g. screens are removed. How many of them (as a percentage of those sent in) are then re-used? And how many of the internal chips are re-used? How many of the batteries are re-used or how much of the underlying materials in the batteries are made into new batteries? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32761701 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32761701 In any case, thanks for the link. If I have the time/energy someday I might read through that document more closely and see if it sheds light on these questions.
lotsofpulp 4y ago
I would assume nothing other than easy to recycle metal/glass/paper actually gets recycled. It just gets shipped to a developing country and dumped there. I assume if a company hires a third party to “recycle”, it is probably cover your ass so they can say they recycled it, and it works pretty well if the third party is in another country. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-...
dagmx 4y ago
Yep! Here’s a video of their robot for deconstruction btw https://youtu.be/MC81peMLEfo https://youtu.be/MC81peMLEfo
- CogitoCogito 4y ago
  I'm a little confused. I see that e.g. screens are removed. How many of them (as a percentage of those sent in) are then re-used? And how many of the internal chips are re-used? How many of the batteries are re-used or how much of the underlying materials in the batteries are made into new batteries?

https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2022.pdf https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Pr... Their environmental reports that they release each year indicate that they do, yes. It also looks like there's an audit report in there as well that logs the recycled materials as verified (page 109).

CogitoCogito 4y ago
It's a bit unclear to me what that page 109 really means. It says a certain amount of materials were removed by recycling contractors whatever that means. Apologies if I'm missing something in that document. What I'd really like are answers to the questions I posed here: > I see that e.g. screens are removed. How many of them (as a percentage of those sent in) are then re-used? And how many of the internal chips are re-used? How many of the batteries are re-used or how much of the underlying materials in the batteries are made into new batteries? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32761701 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32761701 In any case, thanks for the link. If I have the time/energy someday I might read through that document more closely and see if it sheds light on these questions.

lotsofpulp 4y ago

I would assume nothing other than easy to recycle metal/glass/paper actually gets recycled. It just gets shipped to a developing country and dumped there. I assume if a company hires a third party to “recycle”, it is probably cover your ass so they can say they recycled it, and it works pretty well if the third party is in another country. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-...

dagmx 4y ago

Yep! Here’s a video of their robot for deconstruction btw https://youtu.be/MC81peMLEfo https://youtu.be/MC81peMLEfo

CogitoCogito 4y ago
I'm a little confused. I see that e.g. screens are removed. How many of them (as a percentage of those sent in) are then re-used? And how many of the internal chips are re-used? How many of the batteries are re-used or how much of the underlying materials in the batteries are made into new batteries?