It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that smartphones are a part of our lives now, but this also contributes to the growing problem of e-waste. Where do all the smartphones go after they are done? Well, Apple happens to be one of the companies that are tackling the problem - they have been recycling old iPhones with a new robot technology, turning them into new ones in Austin, USA.
For those who aren't aware, Apple has been recycling old iPhone since 2016 with its robot named Liam by tearing an iPhone into separate parts that can be reused such as cameras, plating, battery and more. This time around, a new robot has replaced it as the new successor called Daisy and works even faster than before. According to a YouTube channel that showcases the robot, Daisy can disassemble 200 iPhones in an hour starting with iPhone 5 and other 14 different models.
Sources say that about 217.7 million iPhones were sold in 2018, and in return - 68 million pounds of electronic materials were invested by Apple and renewed. Apple hopes to put more effort into recycling as they have just opened another Material Recovery Lab (in Austin) in April this year to conduct research on recyclable materials.
Since April 2019, 9 million iPhones have been recycled through Apple's trade-in program. The machine in Austin Lab is added to another machine in the Netherlands and is processing about 1 million of them. Most of them are mostly refurbished and resold.
The upcoming iPhone 11 series will make their debut in September as usual. Until then, stay tuned for more Apple news at TechNave.com.
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