ReCellular Notes Opportunity for a "Green" Holiday Season

ReCellular (News - Alert), a cell phone recycling firm, has estimated that nearly 50 million wireless phones will be sold this holiday season. The company notes this will offer an enormous opportunity to make the ‘coveted’ mobile device a channel for making it a "Green" holiday season.

 

"Many people instinctively know they shouldn't throw their old phones away, but don't know what to do with them," Chuck Newman, CEO and President of ReCellular, was quoted as saying. "Fortunately, almost every major wireless provider and retailer across the country now offers no-cost cell phone recycling programs. Alternatively, consumers can go to ReCellularTradeIn.com, and redeem their old phones for Best Buy digital dollars -- putting some green in their pockets as well as benefiting the environment."

 

 

According to ReCellular, most of the phones sold will either be replacements or upgrades for phones already in use. Apparently, the sale would offer an opportunity to recycle 50 million phones and accessories to reclaim:

 

-- One year’s supply of gasoline for 50,000 vehicles. The Use Less Stuff Report suggested that the reuse of cell phones can help in saving the equivalent of 37.5 million gallons of gasoline, which is sufficient to power 50,000 vehicles, averaging 20 mpg, for 15,000 miles per year.

 

 

 

Around 50 percent of the phones collected by ReCellular will be reused, which is the best form of recycling. Phones that are in working condition are refurbished and reprogrammed before being resold to wholesalers in over 40 countries.

Phones and accessories that cannot be resold are sent to cell phone recycling partners after dismantling them. As per ReCellular's Zero Waste Policy, every item received is recycled. Circuit boards, phone chargers, and plastic accessories are reclaimed.

Additionally, the ISO 140001 Certified recycling program reclaims nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs as well as paper and cardboard shipping materials and leather and vinyl materials from phone carrying cases.