Technology Review has a fascinating photo tour of a ReCellular facility, where many of the phones “traded in” for new ones end up. Dealing with thousand of phones at a time, the workers are charged with figuring out which phones can be reused, which can be broken down into their component materials and which are just plain useless.

If you’ve recently replaced your cell phone, you’re not alone. More than half a billion cell phones were swapped for newer models in 2007, according to a study by the research firm Gartner.

Via