Westchester County to Ban Cell Phones From Household Trash

By Michelle Pasquerello

Associate Editor

 

Westchester County Legislature recently approved a bill which will ban users from trashing their old cell phones by a mere toss in the can.

 

The new bill, which will go into effect 90 days after signing, is designed to keep polluters from disposing potentially hazardous materials into landfills and incinerators, issuing penalties that start with a warning after the first offense, $150 for a second offense and $250 for a third.

 

To date, it is estimated that 50,000 cell phones are retired each month in Westchester County.  

 

As an incentive to promote proper disposal of old cell phones, residents are encouraged to inquire with http://www.cellforcash.com/, an organization that recycles old phones and offers cash for mobile devices that still hold some value.

 

“What people may not realize is that their old cell phones may have significant cash value – anywhere from a few dollars to well over $100 per phone,” said James Mosieur, CEO of RMS Communications Group Inc., the company that operates http://www.cellforcash.com/.

 

Westchester County joins the state of California, which also prohibits residents from discarding cell phones in household trash.

 

 

CellForCash offers payment for 500 different mobile device models, re-marketing the used gadgets globally. Over 1,000 cell phones are donated to law enforcement and other agencies every month and recycled cell phones are used in the company’s 911 Cell Phone Bank program, providing no-cost emergency cell phones to elderly and abused throughout the country.