Form Shifter - A New Way To Recycle ?

Researchers compost old mobile phones & transform them into flowers

By 2005, there will be at least 200 million cell phones in use around the US and at least 500 million older models stockpiled in drawers awaiting disposal according to study done by Inform. Study also estimates that within 3 years, Americans will discard about 130 million cell phones per year. This figure adds up to be approximately 65, 000 tons of trash, including many toxic metals and other health hazards.

Just by looking at these figures and considering the pace with which the cell phone industry is growing, finding a solution to recycling is a high priority...At least a group of researcher at the University of Warwick think so...Yesterday University announced that researchers at the Warwick Manufacturing Group " have devised a novel way to recycle discarded mobile telephones - bury them and watch them transform into the flower of your choice".

The University of Warwick team, led by Dr Kerry Kirwan, have worked with hi tech materials company PVAXX Research and Development Ltd and Motorola to create a mobile telephone case or cover that when discarded can simply be placed in compost in such a way that just weeks later the case will begin to disintegrate and turn into a flower. According to the University two researchers have made two key changes to the case or cover of the mobile to achieve this result:

"A special formulation of PVAXX Research and Development Ltd's biodegradable polymer range was developed in conjunction with materials researchers at Warwick, that produces a high quality finish but which also biodegrades easily in compost.

Secondly the engineers at the University of Warwick have created a small transparent window in the case or cover in which they can embed a seed. The seed is visible to the environmentally aware mobile phone user but will not germinate until the phone cover or case is recycled. The researchers have drawn on the specialised seed expertise of researchers in the University of Warwick's horticultural research arm - Warwick HRI - to identify which types of seeds would perform best in this situation. For the first prototype telephones they have used dwarf sunflower seeds".

Definately very interesting and important devolopment worth following up closely...