Imagine the largest mammals in the world (Gorillas) go into extinction because you want to use the latest iPhone? Well, this is possible because large amounts of coltan (substance phone companies have to mine to produce mobile phones) is used in the production of mobile phones. Also, this substance is found in the natural habitat of these mammals and under their skin too. This mining has caused the death of many Gorillas.
There are many users of mobile phones in the world today—over 4 billion. Now, imagine the amount of coltan that had to be mined for the production of all those phones.
The average user in the United States enjoys being able to change their phones (iPhones, especially) once in every 18 months. This means more coltan has to be mined for more new phones to be produced for users.
Users can now help in saving Gorillas, and the only way out is to embrace recycling of old phones.
If as a user, I need to upgrade my iPhone to the latest model, instead of carelessly dumping your old iPhone, I would sell my iPhone through online companies that sell old phones. This way, parts of my old phone can be recycled in the creation of a new model, reducing the need to mine more coltan. Mother nature and of course, Gorillas, will definitely be grateful for such a decision.