Recycle Your Cell Phone
It is the little things that we think the least about. But it is sometimes the little things that can hurt the most.
Mobile phones and other mobile devices (pagers, PDAs) present a growing threat to the environment. As of 2007, there are more than 750 million mobile phones waiting to be recycled in the US; either in drawers, or already in the waste stream. Another 150+ million or so will be added this year and even more next year. Once in the waste stream, these devices may leak Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Arsenic and other toxic substances into the water supply. Municipalities often incinerate their waste, instantly putting these toxic elements into the air, and they return to earth in rain water. Since life on Earth depends on water, the threat is clear.
I noticed when you purchase from Amazon.com, they include a cell phone recycle pouch with your order. That is pretty thoughtful. There are many online sites where you can find out about where you can recycle your old phone. A quick search on Google for “cell phone recycling” brings up several pages of relevant sites. Some of these sites are related to charities some are environmental groups. A few actually put the phone to good use.
So if you have an old cell phone lying around that you are not going to use anymore, you have two choices. You can resell the phone either locally or on eBay. Or you can donate the phone to a good cause. Just be surt not to throw it our with the trash,
