In the past few days, we’ve been discussing cell phone recycling in our posts. Today, let’s look at the different cell phone recycling options available to you.

So, how do you recycle cell phones?

Recycle cell phones by extending usage. How? Give your used cell phones to a family member or a friend. It’s a convenient cell phone recycling option, every time you discard a cell phone or forced to retire one as you switch carriers. Remember, however, that you’re merely extending the usage or life cycle of the handset you’re giving away. Do put in a word for cell phone recycling with the person you’re giving it to, so you’ll know when the time comes for her to retire the unit, she will dispose of it responsibly.

Recycle cell phones through the manufacturer or carrier. Cell phone makers like Apple, Nokia, T-Mobile, Samsung and service providers like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint all have cell phone recycling or take-back programs. You can visit their websites or retail kiosks for information on where you can drop off or mail in old cell phones. This is an extremely viable option as these companies will recycle cell phones responsibly since they benefit from it, too, by having a steady stream of materials for production coming from recycled phones.

Recycle cell phones by donating it to your charity of choice. This is a very convenient option for many and it helps charitable and non-profit organizations gather funds to finance their community, health, or environmental projects. An organization makes money from the cell phones you donate to it, by selling these phones to the large cell phone recycling or refurbishing companies like Pacebutler Corporation.  Most zoos and theme parks in the US have cell phone collection boxes located in convenient spots inside their premises. Some of these zoos and parks are doing this for charity while others do it for conservation fund drives to save African Gorillas.

Recycle cell phones by starting or hosting a cell phone collection campaign in your neighborhood or community. If you want to start such a project in your own city or neighborhood, you can network with other non-profit organizations and even ask for material support from the cell phone recycling companies. You will be provided with materials like posters, collection boxes, pre-paid shipping labels, postcards, and all the information needed to succeed in your campaign.

Even if you do it for yourself, or for business and profit, you can still ask for help from companies or government agencies. Everyone wants you to succeed in such a drive. In some states, like California, for instance, laws have been passed outlawing the disposal of cell phones in trash bins, just to encourage people to recycle cell phones, instead.

The simple truth is that when you collect and recycle cell phones to raise funds for charity or conservation, or personal profit you not only help protect our environment, but you’ve successfully put to good use something that would otherwise have been useless, gathering dust in a sock drawer somewhere, or worse, leaking deadly chemicals in some municipal landfill.

Recycle cell phones through recycling and refurbishing companies. This is a fast and convenient option and most transactions are done online. The process is straightforward, and the turn-around time until you receive your check is usually within 4 business days after the company received your cell phones. You can sell your old cell phones to Pacebutler Corporation. What happens here is that the cell phone recycling or refurbishing company will refit serviceable cell phones and market these to wholesale buyers, both here in the US and abroad. Non-working phones are recycled completely for the precious metals and other materials.

We’ve outlined in our previous posts the dangers posed by improper disposal of cell phone and other electronic waste in our landfills, the vastly untapped material resources (precious metals, etc.) found in used cell phones, as well as the viewpoints of people who refuse or neglect to recycle their old phones.

Hopefully, the cell phone recycling options we’ve discussed today will help in showing people the ease and convenience to recycle cell phones here in the US. Cell phone recycling in America at the current rate of less than 10 percent has a long, long way to go. But if each of us will do his or her part and recycle cell phones we’ve planned to retire this year, that individual act will definitely have a tremendous effect in our nationwide effort.

As the slogan featured in the EPA cell phone recycling page says, “Recycle cell phones, it’s an easy call to make.”

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