Cell Phone Recycling Guide
When you upgrade to a new cell phone, how do you make sure your old cell phone doesn't become part of the growing stream of electronic waste that is polluting the environment with toxic materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic?
According to the EPA, Americans discard 125 million phones each year, creating 65,000 tons of waste and making old cell phones the fastest growing type of manufactured garbage in the United States.
And those old cell phones just keep piling up. The average North American consumer upgrades to a new cell phone every 18 to 24 months. Learn more about the problem and how you can help:
When you upgrade to a new cell phone, recycle your old one. Recycling cell phones is easy. Many organizations refurbish used cell phones and either donate them or resell them and use the proceeds to help finance charitable works. The next time you upgrade to a new cell phone, recycle. Don't let your old cell phone end up in a landfill.More »
Only about 10 percent of the cell phones used in the United States are recycled. That's too bad, because there are many good reasons to recycle old cell phones. To offer just one example, if Americans recycled all of the cell phones that are tossed into a drawer or dumped into landfills annually, we could save enough energy to power more than 24,000 homes for a year.More »
National Cell Phone Recycling Week, which takes place each spring, is a great time to gather up your used cell phones and drop them off at designated cell-phone recycling centers--but you don't have to wait for a special occasion. You can recycle your used cell phones any time.More »
Many common household batteries can be safely discarded these days, but rechargeable batteries from cell phones, MP3 players and laptop computers contain potentially toxic heavy metals. Fortunately, cell phone batteries can be recycled and used to make new batteries, or the materials they contain can be recovered and used to manufacture other products.More »
According to the EPA, Americans discard 125 million phones each year, creating 65,000 tons of waste and making old cell phones the fastest growing type of manufactured garbage in the United States.
And those old cell phones just keep piling up. The average North American consumer upgrades to a new cell phone every 18 to 24 months. Learn more about the problem and how you can help:
1. How to Recycle Your Old Cell Phone
When you upgrade to a new cell phone, recycle your old one. Recycling cell phones is easy. Many organizations refurbish used cell phones and either donate them or resell them and use the proceeds to help finance charitable works. The next time you upgrade to a new cell phone, recycle. Don't let your old cell phone end up in a landfill.More »
2. Why Recycle Cell Phones?
Only about 10 percent of the cell phones used in the United States are recycled. That's too bad, because there are many good reasons to recycle old cell phones. To offer just one example, if Americans recycled all of the cell phones that are tossed into a drawer or dumped into landfills annually, we could save enough energy to power more than 24,000 homes for a year.More »
3. National Cell Phone Recycling Week
National Cell Phone Recycling Week, which takes place each spring, is a great time to gather up your used cell phones and drop them off at designated cell-phone recycling centers--but you don't have to wait for a special occasion. You can recycle your used cell phones any time.More »
4. Should Batteries Be Tossed or Recycled?
Many common household batteries can be safely discarded these days, but rechargeable batteries from cell phones, MP3 players and laptop computers contain potentially toxic heavy metals. Fortunately, cell phone batteries can be recycled and used to make new batteries, or the materials they contain can be recovered and used to manufacture other products.More »
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