Used mobile phones to be disposed

by Ananda KANNANGARA

A massive environment - friendly program to dispose of over one million used mobile phones and accessories will be launched by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) in collaboration with the Dialog Telecom PLC commencing August 1.

According to Environment and Natural Resource Ministry statistics, there are over ten million mobile phone subscribers in all urban and rural areas in Sri Lanka and nearly one million phones are added annually to the environment as unused items.A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch this joint venture was signed last week by Environment Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and Dialog, Group Chief Executive Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya.

Minister Ranawaka told the Sunday Observer that unlike other electronic equipment, mobile phones contain a range of substances such as mercury, lead and cadmium which could harm the lives of humans, animals and the environment.