CONFIRMED!! I won't be buying one!!
I don't think that very many last-rev iPhones or Android phones go directly to the landfill. It's more like: Momma/Babba get new phone, give old one to kid or elder parent, who then gives/sells theirs to somebody else who then gives/sells theirs to one of those old phone/appliance/junk guys/gals who sit around on stools with signs saying they buy that stuff.
There is a ripple effect and eventually phones (or parts of them once the guts are melted down after certain recyclable/meltable/recoverable bits are extracted) do end up in landfills but, at least in HK, it's not so much last year's models getting scrapped.
Great news....it means we'll be able to buy 96% new, unwanted gift, won in a competition, only taken out of the box to look, not needed because given a Galaxy, iPhone 4S for $5200 only.
Serious buyers only. By the way, I paid $5210 for it an IT'S NEARLY NEW I TELL YA!!!