What Does a Phone Cost Nature? Energy and E-waste
A phone uses energy, and one day it may become e-waste. Let’s explore small choices: charging with adult help, asking about repair, passing a working device on, and finding a collection point.
For parents: one printable sheet — a shared device census without a screen.
01Remember
Think about devices at home, then open the answers.
Who helps you charge a device?
An adult, following its instructions.
What might you do with a working device nobody uses?
Ask an adult whether someone else could use it.
Who finds a collection point for an old device?
An adult. You can ask them to help.
02Story
Imagine a family tidying a cupboard. There is a phone that will not switch on, a working tablet nobody uses, and a broken music player. These are made-up devices. No one needs to open a real cupboard to join the story.
“Shall we put them all in a bag?” asks the child. The adult suggests looking at the choices first. “The tablet still works. We could ask whether somebody would like to use it. Before passing it on, I will take care of anything personal on it.”
The phone is a puzzle. The family does not know whether it can be repaired. They write “ask about repair” on a paper card. They do not open it or try a different charger. Asking is already a useful next step.
For the broken player, the adult will ask a collection point what it accepts. The child draws a small arrow on its card: “adult finds out”. They leave the real devices where the adult says they should stay.
Then they talk about the device they still use. “For charging, we follow its instructions together,” says the adult. Their plan does not promise a perfect home. It gives each old device a possible next step. They can change their minds after finding out more.
03Worked example
A working unused tablet → ask an adult about passing it on. A device that does not work → ask about repair; if it cannot be used again, an adult asks a collection point. No need to decide alone.
What do the real numbers tell us?
Eurostat reports that in 2024 EU countries collected 12.3 kg of e-waste per person (7.3 kg in 2015). New electrical and electronic equipment put on the EU market in 2024 was 32.4 kg per person (18.1 kg in 2015). Bulgaria collected 18.9 kg per person, the highest figure among the countries listed on that page. The figures may be underestimated. These are population averages, not the weight of your phone or your family’s waste.
S1 · Eurostat, 14 October 202604Try it now
This household is fictional. Choose only on the page. The simulation works offline, collects no data and saves nothing. There are no points, timer or rankings.
1 · Predict
What would you suggest for the working unused tablet? Say your idea before trying the choices.
2 · Run
Phone: will not switch on
Tablet: working but unused
Music player: broken; in this story an adult has confirmed it cannot be repaired
3 · Change
Change one choice and show the plan again. What information would an adult need before acting?
05Without screen
With an adult, spend 10 minutes making a device census on paper. Count devices that still work but are not used. Look only from the outside; if you are unsure whether something works, write “not sure” and let the adult check later. Do not switch on, charge, move or open old devices yourself. Write only device types and tally marks, with no personal details. Nothing needs to go online.
06Make your own
Write a one-sentence family plan on paper: “For our unused device, we will ask an adult about repair, passing it on or a collection point.” Choose the part that fits your family. Then ask an adult to find the nearest collection point and check what it accepts. You can leave the actual visit for another day.
07What I learned
- Devices use energy; discuss charging with an adult.
- For an old device, consider repair, passing it on or a collection point.
- An adult checks and handles the real devices.
1. A tablet works, but nobody uses it. What could you suggest?
2. Who handles old devices and batteries?
3. What does 12.3 kg describe?
Yours when you can explain a choice and ask an adult for help. This is a skill, with no points or rankings.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
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·Sources
- Title: What Does a Phone Cost Nature? Energy and E-waste (DB-IS-15) · Author: Children’s Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original story, activities and code, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
- S1 · Eurostat · 12.3 kg of e-waste per person collected in the EU · 14.10.2026 · facts paraphrased; no third-party text or images reproduced.
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.