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.

What’s Cooking

Posted: 03/24/08 by Teri Rucker

To continue to feed my cookbook-buying habit without too much guilt, I always wait to go to the book store until Borders has e-mailed its weekly coupon. Martha Stewart has a new cookie cookbook and how could I have missed owning Chez Panisse Desserts?

Today, as I was printing out the coupon, I noticed that I could get them delivered to my cell phone. That's brilliant! I'm always forgetting to print the coupon or I've left it in the pocket of my other coat or I somehow don't have it when I get to the book store. Now that I'm all signed up to get the coupon's delivered to my cell phone, I won't have to decide whether to come back to the store with my coupon in hand or just pay full price. I'll have the discounts in my phone for use at any time.

Another thing I'm really excited about is my favorite cooking web site, www.101cookbooks.com, has enabled the site so recipes can be easily viewed with a wireless device. That is so handy. Now , when I am at the grocery store and can't remember what I need to whip up the rustic cabbage soup that site founder Heidi Swanson has dreamed up, I can just pull out my phone and check the ingredients list. I can't tell you how many repeat trips to the grocery store this is going to save me.

I know there are many, many technologies out there that do far fancier things than look up recipes on the fly and I plan on experimenting with those services as time goes on. But the great thing about wireless is it improves life for everyone no matter their skill level or passions.

What’s Cookin

Posted: 03/11/08 by Teri Rucker

To continue to feed my cookbook-buying habit without too much guilt, I always wait to go to the book store until Borders has e-mailed its weekly coupon. Martha Stewart has a new cookie cookbook and how could I have missed owning Chez Panisse Desserts?

Today, as I was printing out the coupon, I noticed that I could get them delivered to my cell phone. That's brilliant! I'm always forgetting to print the coupon or I've left it in the pocket of my other coat or I somehow don't have it when I get to the book store. Now that I'm all signed up to get the coupons delivered to my cell phone, I won't have to decide whether to come back to the store with my coupon in hand or just pay full price. I'll have the discounts in my phone for use at any time.

Another thing I'm really excited about is my favorite cooking web site, www.101cookbooks.com, has enabled the site so recipes can be easily viewed with a wireless device. That is so handy. Now when I am at the grocery store and can't remember what I need to whip up the rustic cabbage soup that site founder Heidi Swanson has dreamed up, I can just pull out my phone and check the ingredients list. I can't tell you how many repeat trips to the grocery store this is going to save me.

I know there are many, many technologies out there that do far fancier things than look up recipes on the fly and I plan on experimenting with those services as time goes on. But the great thing about wireless is it improves life for everyone no matter their skill level or what their passions.