Return, Recyle, Reinvent Revenue

In Germany, the postal service plans to make some revenue by collecting old mobile phones, household electronic devices, used printer cartridges, and any other e-waste that is small enough to fit in one of their A4-size envelopes.

Gold, silver, copper and dozens of other valuable raw materials are hidden in every electronic device and waiting to be plundered. ALBA, the company that will recycle the electro-waste, projects that up to 80 percent of the materials in old electronics can be recycled. They are hoping to see 10,000 submissions per month, filled with consumer products that otherwise were destined for a landfill, or lying neglected at the back of a drawer.

Patrons can download a postage-paid label from the online site of the German Post, free of cost. Once labelled, possible treasures can be dropped into any post box, and will be sent to the ALBA recycling facilities.

The project, called "Electroreturn," will be supported for one year, after which the Post will examine whether the effort is worth continuing. If the estimated 83 million old mobile phones that are out of use but not yet disposed of return to the material supply chain, the project may prove itself worthwhile.