What are the benefits of recycling cell phones?
There are several reasons that recycling cell phones is better for the environment. Recycling cell phones conserves natural resources and reduces the huge environmental impacts from resource extraction. Recycling cell phones also prevents toxic substances from polluting the soil, water and air when they’re sent to landfills or incinerators. And recycling reduces the amount of waste that towns and cities have to handle.
Extending the life of the phone through reuse is the best thing we can do, so take it back, donate it, or sell it online!
Take It Back
Below is a list of national stores that have cell phone take-back programs. Stores will take back all cell phones – no matter where they were purchased. Some stores are not listed because they have store-by-store recycling policies as opposed to company-wide policies.
| Alltel | Sam’s Club | |
| AT&T Wireless | Sprint Wireless | |
| Best Buy | Staples | |
| The Body Shop | T-Mobile | |
| Circuit City | Target | |
| Costco | US Cellular | |
| FedEx Kinko's | Verizon Wireless | |
| Office Depot | Virgin Mobile | |
| OfficeMax | Wal-Mart | |
| Radio Shack |
Sell It
Cell phones have value. Make some money for yourself! Here are some websites where you can sell your cell phone online.
http://www.greenphone.com
http://www.recellulartradein.com
Donate It or Hold a Fundraiser
Here are some organizations that will donate the proceeds from cell phone recycling to charities of your choice, or help you carry out a fundraiser for your school or community group.
http://www.collectivegood.com
http://www.grcrecycling.com
To Recyclers:
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control conducted an analysis using EPA test methods, and determined that cell phones can be classified as hazardous waste. INFORM urges all recyclers to follow the United Nation’s Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative Decision Tree Procedure – a guidance document on the international movement of hazardous waste under the Basel Convention. You can find the Decision Tree in Appendix 4(b) of the Guidance Document here.
We also encourage you to take the Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship.