On Earth Day, Recycle or Repurpose Those Old Mobile Phones

Maybe you have a drawer in your office.  Maybe it’s an old filing cabinet or a box out in the garage.  If you are like most people, you have a collection of outdated mobile phones somewhere at work or home.   You don’t have a need for them, but you also don’t want them simply to become toxic additions to the local landfill.

In honor of Earth Day 2013, today is an especially good time to take action and find a responsible way to recycle or repurpose those little mobile reminders of how fast technology is evolving these days.

Here are a four few good options:

Drop them off at your wireless service provider.  Many mobile phone service carriers have bins in their retail stores where you can drop off old mobile phones for proper recycling. Some will dispose of them properly, while others will donate them to non-profits so they can be repurposed.

Stop by your local electronics retailer.  Many retailers of consumer electronics, like Radio Shack, Best Buy, Lowes, Home Depot, Staples and Office Depot, will happily accept your old mobile phones for responsible recycling.

Donate to a domestic violence support organization. Domestic abuse and women’s shelters often provide mobile phones to abuse victims in need.   You can contact a shelter in your community or the Shelter Alliance at 866-744-1003 for information on how and where to make your donation.

Support the U.S. military. Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit group that provides mobile phones to troops stationed overseas so they can stay in contact with their families.  You can call them at 800-426-1031 or visit their website to obtain a pre-paid shipping label or directions to a drop-off location near you.

There are plenty of other resources for mobile phone recycling, but these are among our favorites here at SP+A.  We are collecting our old phones today and hope you will consider doing the same.

Happy Earth Day!

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