How many cell phones do you have? Two? Three?
According to the EPA “only 10 percent of cell phones are recycled each year and most people do not know where to recycle them.” These unused phones are actually polluting our environment, causing effects on everyday necessities. Like our drinking water and the air that we breathe. According to the EPA, recycling these end-of-life phones can prevent air and water pollution, and reduce green house gas emissions. “In fact, if all of the 100 million cell phones ready for end of life management in the U.S. are recycled, we could save enough energy to power more than 18,500 U.S. households with electricity for one year,” reads an article on the EPA website.
Of course, not every cell phone is ready to be recycled. Some people keep phones as backups, and others upgrade at the drop of each new iPhone or Blackberry. This leaves many people with not just one extra functioning phone but several. With the rise of some new recycling programs, these phones can now find a new home.
These new companies emphasize another part of recycling: reuse. Madison Wickham of CycledCells.com says, “We want to give working phones a second chance by connecting them with new owners.” Cycled Cells is one of these companies that will purchase your phone from you and then redistribute it to another user. They will also purchase broken cell phones. These promoters of reuse are an additional piece to our caring for the environment.
