“Mobile phones have become an integral part of our daily life. Retrieving information has never been easier with current phones offering an array of features such as GPS and Internet access. However, a new mobile phone is released almost every week, and it has become common practice to get a new mobile phone at the end of every year’s contract since they are often offered as free with the new contract. But what then happens to the mobile phone you are upgrading from? Many are forgotten, most are thrown away, very few are recycled. Discarding such a high-tech piece of equipment as though it were as easy as balling up a piece of paper and throwing it in the bin surely cannot be sensible. Why do mobile phones only last for just over a year, and what are the effects of all of this high-tech electronic waste that we are generating?” (Peter van Lanschot)