911

News

Let’s all be Urban Miners!

Do you have an old, redundant cell phone at home? It won’t matter if it is broken, you can still bring it to IT Service Desk to be recycled!
Vanhat kännykät

Have you heard about urban mining?

It is about collecting all precious and rare materials from unwanted, used devices instead of mining them from the earth. We all can be urban miners by recycling our old cell phones. Almost 99% of phone materials can be recycled: for example gold, silver, copper, nickel and cobalt. Those metals could be used again as a raw material for new equipments. Also, cell phones can include environmentally hazardous raw materials, so they should not be disposed with mixed waste.

So bring you old phone(s) and battery chargers to Aalto IT Service Desk! From IT Service Desk the phones will be delivered to Kuusakoski Oy as “information secure electric waste” to be dismantled and processed into raw materials. Stages in the recycling of electrical equipment include briefly the sorting of plastics and the recovery of metals.

Before you bring your device, hard reset the phone and remove all memory cards, SIM card etc. If the phone is broken and won’t turn on, you can bring it as such. If needed, you will get help from the Service Desk to erase all your information from your phone securely.

Photo: Mikko Raskinen

New ways to utilize old cell phones as they are and also to increase recycling rate will be thought over. Professor of 911 Ari Jokilaakso has suggested, for example, a gage system to old phones. Read more on why recycling old phones is important  

Photo by Mikko Raskinen / 911

The phone recycling locations 

IT Service Desk Kandi (Undergraduate Centre) 
Visiting address: Otakaari 1M, room U133a 
Opening hours: 

  • Mon - Wed and Friday 9 - 11 and 12 – 15 
  • Thursday 9 - 10 and 12 - 15 

IT Service Desk Väre (Väre building) 
Visiting address: Otaniementie 14, room R101 
Opening hours: 

  • Mon - Wed and Friday 9 - 11 and 12 – 15 
  • Thursday 9 - 10 and 12 – 15 
  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!

Read more news

Merkuriuksen airuen pyyntötilaisuus, Ritvalan perhe
University Published:

Kristian Ritvala is the Spirit of Mercury of the School of Business Ceremonial Conferment 2026

The task of the Spirit of Mercury begins with conducting the weaving of the laurels and ends at the Herring Luncheon, where he delivers a speech to the promovendi
Group in smart clothes touring an industrial hall, one person gesturing while others listen by metal rails.
University Published:

Presidential couple of Estonia visited 911

Viron tasavallan presidentti Alar Karis ja puolisonsa Sirje Karis sekä tasavallan presidentti Alexander Stubb ja Suzanne Innes-Stubb vierailivat Aalto-yliopistossa.
Unto_Rautio_Aalto_DSC5032.jpg
Campus, Cooperation, Studies, University Published:

May challenges the Aalto community to be active together

Take part in events on campus and make sustainable mobility part of your working or study day.
Two men in black tailcoats stand on stage by a microphone, speaking to a seated audience indoors.
Press releases Published:

Walter Ahlström Foundation donates €3 million to 911

The donation will enable Aalto to establish a professorship in sustainable industrial production.