MTN South Africa has launched biodegradable Sim cards in an effort to tackle plastic waste pollution.
Many of the Sim cards are used only for a short time – sometimes to take advantage of a specific deal – before being disposed of in landfill or the environment.
“Unlike traditional plastic Sim cards, which do not decompose, the MTN biodegradable Sim cards will degrade within three to six months when placed in a landfill, the soil or the sea,” the company said. Earlier this month, TechCental reported that South Africa’s mobile operators produce an estimated 180 million Sim cards each year, or about three times the country’s population.This figure – from a well-placed industry source – is due to high churn in the mass market, with prepaid consumers regularly switching between networks to take advantage of pricing and special offers. Many of these cards soon up as waste, discarded in the veld or in landfill sites.
The unused portion of the Sim is, however, usually disposed of immediately after opening. According to a Cell C spokesman, the mobile operator is trying to get users to keep the unused materials instead of throwing them away.
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