Cell phone recycling
Like it or leave it, cell phones are a way of life, and, often indispensable to working parents, unless of course, you intend to leave your kid at football practice all night.
But, technology changes, something shiny and new catches your eye, and, before you know it, you have quite the collection of unused cell phones in a desk drawer, and, you make yourself feel better about it by saying someone might “need them someday”.
Hoard no more! Earth 2 Tech lists Five Easy Ways to Recycle Your Cell Phone.
Phones can be sold on eBay, given to fund raising groups, and, more. In my city, the police department collects used cell phones, and, has a program to give them to domestic violence victims.
There’s also companies such as Funding Factory that help schools raise money by recycling phones and printer cartridges, and, nothing could be easier than taking them to a drop box at a school.
(via Web Worker Daily)
I have to admit that while this all sounds good and dandy on the surface, it is also a nice idea to find out who is behind some of these groups.
The fact is that some of them just “dump” the old technologies on poorer countries where laws are not quite so “strict”
Cell phones, like computers contain lead, mercury and other environmentally bad things, and dumping them “elsewhere” (The old “Not in My Back Yard”) is not good enough.
Some sample articles covering this problem:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/02/25/computer-waste.htm
http://mayfirst.org/node/59
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2002/02/50645
So yes, recycling is always good, just know who your recycler is, and what they are going to do with the parts and phones they can’t use.
This is really good information, especially since the cellphones often need to be replaced or updated every time you change your plan. I’ve also heard of giving them to battered women’s shelters. I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve heard that even a dead cellphone can be used to dial 9-1-1.