ReCellular Encourages Consumers to Donate Cell Phones for Recycling on Earth Day

Dexter, MI (PRWEB) April 15, 2007

ReCellular is encouraging Americans to clean out their closets and donate cell phones on April 22, in honor of Earth Day. One in three Americans will replace their cell phones this year, with the majority of these added to the estimated 500 million unused cell phones waiting to be either recycled or discarded.

 

“Many people instinctively know they shouldn’t throw their old phones away, but don’t know what to do with them,” says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular. “We’re working to change that, and ultimately want consumers to automatically think of recycling cell phones just like they currently do with paper, plastic or glass.”

 

ReCellular expects to collect 4 million phones in 2007, with support from retailers, charity groups and grassroots organizations. These partners create a nationwide network of more than 40,000 sites that collect cell phones of every make, model and age — enabling consumers to donate cell phones safely and conveniently.

 

ReCellular pays up to $ 50 for each donated phone, with proceeds benefiting charities such as the March of Dimes, Cell Phones for Soldiers, and domestic violence prevention and education programs. Consumer information, including a list of donation sites and prepaid shipping labels for donations, is available at WirelessRecycling.com.

 

“Our greatest challenge is consumer awareness,” says Newman. “We know more people would donate cell phones if they knew the simple act of dropping their old phone in a collection box benefited both the environment and a worthy cause like March of Dimes.”

 

Approximately half of the phones ReCellular collects will be reused — considered the ultimate form of recycling. Functional phones are reconditioned and reprogrammed before being sold to wholesalers from more than 40 countries.

 

Phones that cannot be resold are dismantled and recycled. ReCellular expects to recycle 1 million pounds of scrap phones and accessories this year, working with recycling partners to reclaim valuable materials, including:

 

-t150,000 pounds of copper: ReCellular will recycle an estimated 450 miles of phone chargers, containing enough to replace the copper shell of the Statue of Liberty, twice.

 

-t$ 630,000 worth of precious metals: ReCellular will recycle over 1 million circuit boards, each containing an average of $ 0.63 of precious metals, not factoring the cost of recovery, according the U.S. Geological Survey. By this estimate, the 500 million phones available for recycling contain $ 314 million worth of rare metals.

 

In addition, ReCellular’s ISO 14001 certified recycling cell phones program reclaims nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs; plastic from phone cases and accessories; and even paper and cardboard from shipping materials used for donations.

 

ReCellular’s successful business model for extracting value from discarded phones through recycling and refurbishing recently earned the company recognition as one of Inc. Magazine’s “Green 50” companies that are driving the green revolution in business.

 

“Recognition in Inc. is a great testament to our founding principle of building a successful business that is both socially and environmentally responsible,” says Newman. “However, with 500 million old cell phones in storage and counting, we have just scratched the surface of wireless recycling.”

 

ReCellular recently was named to the charter advisory board of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, a joint effort between the Graham Foundation and the University of Michigan to encourage education and research in environmental sustainability. ReCellular is also a member of the Michigan Recycling Coalition and the National Recycling Coalition.

 

About ReCellular Inc.

With offices in the United States, Hong Kong, and Brazil, ReCellular Inc. is the world’s foremost collector, reseller and recycler of used wireless phones and accessories. We provide solutions for the collection, reuse and recycling of used personal electronics that generate financial return for our partners, quality products for our customers, funding for charity organizations, and protection of the environment. Corporate and wholesale information is available at ReCellular.com. Consumer information, including collection sites and charity fundraising details, is available at WirelessRecycling.com.

 

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