Go Green: Recycle Old Cell Phones

Trashed cell phones contribute a significant amount of electronic waste. Tons of electronic waste end up in landfills and pollute the environment with their toxic materials like cadmium, mercury, lead and arsenic. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on the average, Americans use a cell phone for 18 to 24 months before upgrading to a newer model. And with over 125,000 cell phones being discarded each year, if we do not take action right now, we could be faced with an environmental crisis soon.

Going green with electronic waste is the only solution to this problem. So the question then is - how to recycle old cell phones? How to make them more eco-friendly? Let us explore some answers to these questions.

• You can recycle old cell phone and your cell phone charger. The plastic in the cell phone can be recycled. The printed circuit boards and the electrical components in the cell phone can be used to recover precious metals like gold and silver and other metals like zinc, lead and copper. Cell phone batteries can be used to recover nickel, cadmium and lead. Even your cell phone accessories like headsets can be recycled.

• Many companies like Verizon, Nokia, Sprint, AT&T and others offer recycling programs. They have designated store where you can drop off your old cell phones for them to recycle. The cell phones will be evaluated for their usefulness. Cell phones in working condition may be refurbished and resold or donated to charities. Others will be recycled to recover useful materials. A country-wide initiative, Recycle Wireless Phones offers detailed information on recycling your old cell phones.

• Alternatively, you can directly donate your old cell phones to charities like Cell Phones for Soldiers where they can reuse them in their existing condition. There are company sponsored incentives to recycle phones. So charities may make some money by recycling phones that have completed their useful life span.

• Some websites buy your old cell phones - they evaluate its condition and offer you a price. They refurbish and resell the phones typically in developing countries. Cell for cash is one such site.

• Consider holding on to your cell phone if it in working condition for a longer duration of time. This will keep it away from landfills and recycling for a longer time.

It does not take much effort to recycle your old cell phones. So go green and do not let your cell phone end up in a landfill.