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Cell Phone Recycling

The use of cell phones by the masses has increased astronomically since they were first made available to the public in 1984. According to a study done by Strategy Analytics, 1.1 billion cell phones were sold in 2007. With a current world population of about 6.8 billion, that puts a cell phone in one of every six people’s pockets. That’s a lot of communication (and pockets)! And more so, that’s a lot of potential trash that we’re purchasing.

If left to their own device in a land fill, a mobile phone can pollute the surrounding soil and water with toxic materials such as arsenic, lead and zinc. When recycled, some cell phones get broken back down into their raw materials; others get refurbished and sent to other countries for their consumer markets to purchase.

There are many ways to retire that old cellular.

Recycle Cell PhonesRecycle it! Use Earth 911’s recycling locator to find a local drop off location. Make an event out of it. Throw a “Recycle that Ringer” party! No admission without an old cell phone to throw into the pile. Once collected you can take them all to the recycling location and have a great party to fondly refer to.

Donate it! This option has become more and more popular in recent times. There are many nonprofits using this tool for fund raising. There are also zoos and schools collecting them to help raise some much needed capital. Explore your local options, and turn your trash into cash – for a good cause.

Return it! Take it to the store you got it from, or send it to the company who produced it, if they have a recycling program in place. Cell phone companies are catching on and most are now providing this option. Some legislators are even trying to make it a law.

Reuse it! Pass your old ones down to your kids, family members or friends. Old to you is new to someone else! It saves money and helps avoid the trap of buying a new cell phone every year.