Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications

Recycling Made Easy

Posted: 04/08/08 by Jo-Anne Basile

Earth Day is April 22 and during the month of April, Mobile Future will share information on how wireless users can be kinder to the environment by disposing of their wireless devices in a responsible way.

In 2005, the EPA estimated that there was about 2.2 million tons of e-waste -- e-waste includes all consumer electronics from computer terminals to cell phones and more. That statistic was one of the first things I heard the other morning on NPR and what was more disturbing is that only 15 percent to 20 percent of the electronic devices that are disposed of each year are recycled.

The good news is that the wireless industry makes it really easy for people to recycle their old phones, since the average consumer replaces their phone about every 18 to 24 months. It is encouraging that the wireless industry has stepped up and volunteered to make recycling easy.

All the major wireless providers - Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Alltel accept donations of cell phones in their stores regardless of the cell phones' manufacturer or carrier. All you have to do is let the employees know that you would like to recycle your phone, and they will take care of the rest. Many electronics stores, such as Best Buy, Office Depot and Staples, also have collection bins where people can drop off their cell phones.

Oftentimes, carriers will donate perfectly useable phones to good causes or they will use the money they raise by recycling the pieces to support charities. One I particularly like is Verizon's Wireless HopeLine where the funds raised are used to purchase wireless phones which are distributed (along with donated air time) to victims of domestic violence.

Now the Post Office is testing a pilot electronics recycling program.

Free postage-paid envelopes are provided to individuals to mail in everything from inkjet cartridges to MP3 players to cell phones. Currently 1,500 post offices are participating in 10 areas across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. If the program is successful, they will expand it in the fall.

This is just the tip of the iceberg - there are many other ways to responsibly dispose of your old phones. Check back with Mobile Future for other resources we will highlight.

And don't forget, before you recycle your phone, remember to terminate your service, clear the phone's memory of contacts and other stored information and remove your phone's SIM card.

 

How To Be Kind To Mother Earth

Posted: 03/31/08 by Teri Rucker

I just got my cell phone bill and the bill insert caught my eye, because it looked a bit like something out of the Smith and Hawken catalog, and so I read it instead of tossing it directly into the recycling bin like I normally do.

If I sign up for paperless billing, the carrier will plant a tree on my behalf through the Arbor Day Foundation. Not only that, but the tree will be planted where it is needed most - in Southern California or in New Orleans, where trees are desperately needed but not growing back on their own. This effort is done under the Restoration Project at the Arbor Day Foundation.

After following the easy sign-up instructions, I can get and pay my bill online and no more trees will be killed when I pay my bills.

As if that wasn't enough, the company also provided information on how to recycle and old phone. You can take your phone - any make, model or carrier - to the company's store and they will recycle it. The old devices will either be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way or reused. Not only can you drop off your phone, but all your accessories, too, eliminating the jumble of hands free devices and chargers that won't work with the new phone but collect in that spare drawer in the kitchen. Many times the phones are sold to companies that can reuse the materials and any proceeds derived from selling the phones go to the company's community outreach program.

In one small bill insert, I've found out how to help the planet and my community. Check back here throughout the month of April for more tips on how to be kind to Mother Earth.

Cell Phones for Soldiers

Posted: 03/06/08 by Teri Rucker

I recently received an order from Amazon.com and included in the box was a self-addressed envelope from Cell Phones for Soldiers that would allow me to donate a cell phone that I no longer use.

The envelope came with instructions on how to donate the old phone, making it extremely easy to just pop the phone in the self-sealing bag and drop it in the mail. What a great cause and what a great idea. I was interested in why Amazon sent the Cell Phones for Soldiers bag, especially since I ordered a vegetarian cookbook and a yoga video and I didn’t buy anything technology related.

This is what Amazon said: Amazon recently began including the Cell Phones for Soldiers envelopes in nearly every order they ship out and the program will continue for the foreseeable future. It seems the program is fairly new and has generated quite a lot of buzz from their customers who wanted to know more about the charity.

Cell Phones for Soldiers is an awesome program which started in 2004 by then 13-year-old Brittany Bergquist and her 12-year-old brother Robbie of Norwell, Massachusetts. They wanted to help soldiers serving overseas keep in touch with their families, so the siblings started the 501(c)3 with their own money. The pair recycles old cell phones that are dropped off at donation spots around the country and with the money earned from recycling the phones they purchase prepaid calling cards to donate to the troops.0

The last time I got a new phone, I had it recycled by my carrier, but it is not uncommon for a friend to ask what they should do with an old phone. Stay tuned to the Mobile Future site for recycling and donation tips, but in the mean time, check out Cell Phones for Soldiers.

These kids are doing such a good thing by saving the environment and helping the troops. And I’m pretty sure they’re storing up quite a bit of good karma, too.