The recycling of iPhones is a complicated process. There are many ways it can be done. This process, although helpful to the environment, also has its critics because of where the recycled products end up. Most electronic recycling companies ship the products to periphery countries, places like China where the parts of the product are picked apart for their recyclable components. This can harm the environments or those countries when pollutants from the product make their way into the earth via streams or the air. Additionally, not every part of the iPhone is reusable so these pieces are thrown into landfills of countries who didn’t use them. Unlike the majority of electronic recycling companies, Apple recycles it’s products in the country they were used. This way the effects of the process are sustained in the place the product was used, preventing third world countries from being abused by first world consumerism.
As with all products that use non-recyclable products, the iPhone contributes to landfills across the globe filling up with trash that cannot be broken down. This creates a lasting effect on the environment, as we have no idea what to do with these parts once they are thrown away, and the toxic waste just builds up (The Environmental Pitfalls). Also, in third world countries, the workers who are relied on to carry out the recycling process experience poor working conditions similar to the Chinese who create iPhone parts.