PC Magazine reported on the new ruling, which states that all "portable batteries" -- meaning those in devices like smartphones, tablets, and cameras -- must be designed in a way "that consumers can themselves easily remove and replace them." [...]

Aside from being good for users, the rules could save millions of otherwise perfectly good phones from getting tossed away. According to Euronews, more than 150 million smartphones end up every year in landfills, where they release toxic metals that can contaminate water and soil.

This is partly because replacing a battery often costs almost as much as getting an entirely new phone, according to Euronews. Making batteries that users can easily replace will go a long way in both saving consumers money and reducing this massive amount of e-waste.