Samsung's plan to recycle millions of Note 7s is huge task

Up to 157 tons of precious metals can be salvaged from the Note 7, Samsung says

18 Jul 2017
Getty Images / George Frey / Stringer

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 was an unmitigated disaster – but all is not lost. As well as reselling refurbished handsets, Samsung has also pledged to recycle or reuse 157 tonnes of gold, silver, cobalt and copper. A blue whale can weigh up to 200 tonnes, so that's a lot of metal.

The constant smartphone iteration gravy train has created dizzying levels of toxic waste. An estimated 48 million tonnes of gadgets are thrown away each year – including 125 million smartphones. Devices are packed with rare metal components and the US Environmental Protection Agency says just 29 per cent of the country's e-waste was recycled in 2012.

Samsung's plan with the Note 7 is to try and stop these metals from going to waste. In a statement (translated from Korean), the company said it would be ripping out 157 tonnes of gold, silver, cobalt and copper will be recovered from the stricken Note 7 handsets.

A breakdown of the Note 7 by iFixit reveals how complex the handset is to take apart. The glass back and front are glued on tight, making just getting into the innards a major challenge. Once there, complex and intricate components, some of which get in the way of others, further complicate things.

The decision to extract and recycle as much as possible from the phones has followed pressure from campaigners such as Greenpeace. The environmental group has conducted research showing that more than 60 different elements are used in the manufacturing of smartphones. The impact of mining and processing the metals is also significant. For instance, gorillas in the Congo have been killed and eaten by miners who are likely involved in the product supply chain.

While it might be difficult for humans to take apart phones that have been stuck together using industrial strength glue, robots have an easier time. Apple's Liam robot can pick-up and deconstruct iPhones into separate parts at rapid speed. According to Mashable there are 29 robotic arms and 40 iPhones can fit onto a conveyor belt at once. An iPhone is disassembled by Liam every nine seconds and 350 can be done each hour. That's equivalent to 1.2 million iPhones per year if the machine is able to work at full speed and doesn't breakdown.

Samsung hasn't yet explained exactly how it will extract all the materials, but the process will definitely be time-consuming. The company recalled a total of 4.3 million Note 7s. Based on the efficiency of Apple's robot, it could take three and half years for all the Note 7s to be dismantled. That's assuming that Samsung has similar dissassmbly technology – and that it never stops or breaks down.

"Manufacturers should measure their innovation not by fewer millimetres and more megapixels," Greenpeace Greenpeace wrote in a report looking at smartphone waste. "But by designing devices to last, by making them easily repairable and upgradeable, and using components and materials that can safely be reused again and again to make new phones".

The difficulty in reusing and recycling phones has seen a rise in the idea of the right to repair movement. In Nebraska, The Fair Repair Act, has been proposed. Similar laws are also being considered in other US states. The legislation, if passed, would require manufacturers to provide customers and independent repair firms with access to service information and replacement parts.

According to a report by BuzzFeed, Apple has opposed the plans. Complaints from industry groups say rights to repair "compromise intellectual property" of companies.

In Europe there's also a growing right to repair movement. The European Parliament has called for new laws that ensure people can fix or upgrade their devices. As Samsung is about to find out, it's not as easy as it should be.