eCycle cell phones - WNEM TV 5

eCycle cell phones

Did you just get a new cell phone? Are you wondering what to do with the old one? Rather than adding it to your growing collection of unwanted mobile phones, recycle it!

In 2007, approximately 14 million Americans recycled their used cell phones. Today, donating or recycling cell phones, PDAs, chargers, and batteries has never been easier.

Donating your working cell phone or PDA can benefit your community. When cell phones and accessories are in good working order, some programs donate them to worthy charities or sell them at a discount to those in need.

Recycling cell phones helps the environment by saving energy and keeping usable materials out of landfills. Cell phones and PDAs are made of precious metals, copper, and plastics-all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Recycling conserves these materials so they can be turned into new products.

Cell phone collection programs can be accessed from almost everywhere in the US. Many organizations, such as cell phone manufacturers, retailers, network carriers, charities, and state or local solid waste programs offer cell phone donation and recycling programs.

Drop It Off:  Check with local retailers to see if they have a program for recycling cell phones.

You can also mail in your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories.  Contact your cell phone service provider to see if they have a mail-in program.

Tips for recycling your cell phone:

• Before you drop off or mail in your old cell phone, make sure that you have terminated your service contract for the phone and erased any data in the phone.
• To ensure that personal information is cleared from the phone, you can: manually delete all information and remove the SIM card; contact your service provider or phone manufacturer for instructions; or use a data erasing tool such as ReCellular's Cell Phone Data Eraser