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Samsung has given into pressure from environmentalists and will reconsider its plans to dispose of discontinued Galaxy Note 7 phones.
Greenpeace had posed the question to the disgraced smartphone maker of how it is intending on getting rid of the volatile devices earlier this week: “Greenpeace is calling on the global tech leader to see an opportunity in this crisis and show leadership. Samsung must act transparently to ensure these gadgets don’t end up in the trash, but are instead dismantled, separated, and that the precious materials they contain are reused.”
After a recall that saw replacement phones be just as dangerous as the initial units, Samsung confirmed it would discontinue the device, but because of pressure from groups like Greenpeace, the company issued the following statement: ”We recognise the concerns around the discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7, and are currently reviewing possible options that can minimise the environmental impact of the recall in full compliance with relevant local environmental regulations.”
Samsung has not however made any explicit announcement of how it intends to more forward with this recycling plan.
The topic of e-waste has been a growing issue of late, with Jeremy Mortenson, Crucial Memory product line manager saying: “One of the leading contributors to landfill waste in the UK is E-Waste, created by disused or discarded technology including household appliances like old PCs. Our research shows that people are ditching working systems because they’ve slowed down, take too long to turn on and freeze all the time, all of which can be easily fixed.”
