William Penn Life, 2003 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003-01-01 / 1. szám
Charitable Ideas Recycling Cell Phones A way to help those in need while protecting the environment by Debra Gray (from WorldWise.com) The cell phone has now become standard equipment for almost every man, woman, and child in America. More than 115 million cell phones are currently in use across the country. Already there are an estimated 30 million unused handsets that are yet to be disposed of by American homes and businesses. Industry research has shown that cell phone subscribers typically upgrade their phones on average every two years, making some 55 million handsets due for retirement this coming year alone. And, as technology improves, and the phones get more bells and whistles, users are trading in older models even more quickly. Companies have already begun marketing "disposable" phones. Because cell phones are so cheap to produce, and technology is changing so rapidly, new phones will soon have an obsolescence of a year or less, making it even more important to have programs set up for environmentallysafe disposal. If you are upgrading your cell phone or have an old one sitting around, you have two options: recycle your phone for reuse of its raw materials, or donate your phone for refurbishment and redistribution. Recycling is preferred to sending your phone to a landfill via your household trash. Cell phones contain toxic mercury, cadmium, lead, galium arsenide and other poisonous materials. If these metals decompose after long periods of time and leak into ground water, they could poison streams, wildlife and drinking water. In addition to reducing the landfill hazards, reusing these metals will save the energy of mining new metallic ores and the impact of mining on the environment. Not every part of a cell phone can currently be recycled, however. Given the massive number of cell phones that will need disposal in the future, manufacturers need to design cell phones for recycling and set up takeback and responsible recycling programs on a much larger scale than we have now. The best option is to donate your phone for refurbishment and redistribution, giving it at least a second life before disposal. Though you may want the latest features, there are many people in all parts of the world who would appreciate having any basic cell phone. There are several organizations that collect cell phones for refurbishment and redistribution. If your phone cannot be redistributed, it will be recycled for its metals and plastics in accordance with federal and local environmental standards. Below are listed several places to which you can donate your phone and get cash back or support a charity. You can also call your wireless carrier for information on "take back programs", or contact your community waste management center for local recycling programs. Donate A Phone was established by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association to collect, refurbish and redistribute phones for free to neighborhood watch groups, shelters for battered women and schools. They have a program for businesses to generate funds for their corporate charitable giving, and a program for nonprofits to raise funds for their work. CollectiveGood International recycles cell phones by refurbishing and selling them to Third World countries. They provide affordable, first-time modem communications for many people, improving local economies and quality of life throughout the region. You can donate your phone for the benefit of a participating charity and get a tax deduction. Electronics Recycling offers a wealth of information for households and organizations about recycling electronics. It represents all industry work groups, including collection, demanufacturing, refurbishment/ reselling, research, and recycling. Copywright 2002 (c) WorldWise, Inc., San Rafael, Calif. Charity Links WorldWise, Inc. is an environmental consumer products company guided by the principle of sustainability, that is, meeting our human needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. For more information about WorldWise, log onto their website at: www.worldwise.com. For more information about recycling your old cell phone, log onto the website of any of the following organizations: 3 Donate A Phone www.wirelessfoundation.org 3 CollectiveGood International www.collectivegood.com 3 Electronics Recycling www.electronicrecycling.net William Penn Lite, January 2003 7
