The ‘Call you don’t want to miss‘ is a new platform of Hrvatski Telekom focused on environmental protection, more efficient use of natural resources, circular economy, conscientious management of electronic equipment and waste, and other sustainability topics. Through the ‘Call you don’t want to miss,’ HT intends to contribute even more and highlight the importance and the necessity of responsible action in environmental protection. It is a “call” that we must not miss if we want to enjoy nature in the future as we take it for granted today. unused mobile phones croatia

Electrical and electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste category in the EU. E-waste contains as many as 49 chemical elements, many of which can be recycled to become valuable raw materials instead of waste. Therefore, raising awareness about the responsible and conscientious disposal of electronic devices and equipment is vitally important.

With that in mind, Hrvatski Telekom conducted a national survey which showed that there currently are 5 million mobile phones hidden away in drawers in Croatia, not being used.

40 % of respondents change their phones every 2 years

The survey showed that 40 percent of respondents change their phones every two years and 68 percent within three years. It is clear that the number of unused and unnecessarily unused mobile devices and other small, and IT equipment in our households will only increase with time.

85 percent of the respondents who keep their old mobile phone have the following reasons for it: to have a replacement (66%), give it to their family (65%), are anxious about their data being stolen (23%), do not know how or where to dispose of it (13 %), because it is not practical for them (6%).

The concern is that almost every tenth citizen throws away mobile phones they don’t use into the regular trash. In fact, while 77 percent of respondents say they regularly sort waste, 40 percent do not dispose of electronic devices and equipment properly.

54 % of respondents want to dispose of their old unused mobile phones

While 54 percent of respondents want to dispose of their old unused mobile phones, the devastating fact is that as many as 51 percent do not know that tablets can be disposed of and recycled, 56 percent do not know this about routers, 49 percent about printers, 47 percent about cables and chargers, and 42 percent about laptops. Only 13 percent of respondents know that about 80 percent of mobile phone parts can be recycled.

Also, 62 percent of respondents said they would buy a used mobile phone, and half would pay more for an eco-friendly one.

“Sustainability is an integral part of our business. We have been using only electricity from renewable sources for several years, systematically reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. The number of e-invoice users has almost doubled over the last five years, and today more than half of HT customers receive them. We also participate in the pan-industry Eco Rating initiative, providing users with relevant information about the impact of mobile phone production, use, and disposal on the environment. In the spirit of the circular economy, we continuously collect and dispose of mobile devices and electronic equipment with our partners. We are highly committed to this, and in 2022 we doubled the number of mobile phones we took care of, but we always want to do more. Marking the occasion, we launched the “Call you don’t want to miss” platform under which we will conduct year-round activities and contribute to environmental protection, conservation, and more efficient use of natural resources, as well as the design and application of innovative smart solutions and the construction of ICT infrastructure that enable everyone to live and do business more sustainably. Since we live in a time when we have more electrical and electronic devices in our drawers than there are people, the first in a series of activities that we are starting with today even more intensively is awareness-raising and collecting electronic devices we do not use. All of us, as individuals or companies, can make a tangible contribution here with our involvement because this is a “call” for all of us, and we do not want and should not miss it,” said Nataša Rapaić, a member of the Management Board and Chief Operating Officer Residential at Hrvatski Telekom. unused mobile phones croatia

Anyone can answer the ‘Call you don’t want to miss‘ and bring ICT equipment (mobile phones, landline phones, tablets, routers, media receivers/TV decoders, chargers, power banks, external batteries, cables, laptops, wearables (watches, bracelets, headphones), and put it in a specially designed box in all T-Centers across Croatia. HT will ensure that all collected mobile phones and equipment are responsibly and adequately disposed of under environmental standards.

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