Cell Phone Recycling Made Easier

Some interesting facts from the EPA:
•There are an estimated 58 million phones being stored and no longer used. If those phones were reused or recycled the energy saved would paower 10,690 homes for a year.
•If Americans could manage to recycle the 130 million cell phones that are disposed of each year, the energy saved would power 24,000 homes in a year.
•For every one million cell phones recycled, we can recover 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, 33 pounds of palladium, and 35,274 pounds of copper.

Donating phones for a cause:
Doante your phone to Phones for Haiti and 100% of the phone value will go to the American Red Cross. In addition, qualifying phones will be refurbished and supplied to aid groups working in Haiti. Other non-profits include: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  and Call to Protect.

Where Can I Turn in My Cell Phone for Donation or Recycling?
Call 2 Recycle makes is easy to find a location for drop off. Just enter your zip code on their website.

You can also use the EPA's site for more specific brand and store info. According to their website, retailers that accept phones include Motorola, Nokia, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile Wireless, Sprint Wireless, and Best Buy.

Recycling Rewards
Another option is RecycleBank. This is a rewards program that earns you RecycleBank Points for recycling. Cell phones earn 10 points which can be redeemed for products and services.

Make sure to clear your data before recycling or donating. And for more questions and answers, check out Wireless - The New Recyclable.

Read more on this topic:
What We Can Learn from the U.K.: A lesson in e-waste recycling, and iTrash: Out with the Old