Donate A Cell Phone to A Good Cause
 
Are you thinking about changing your wireless service when your contract ends? If you answer yes, you are one of millions of people who are expected to switch their cell phone carrier this year. Product and service innovations offered by cell phone providers (such as picture phones and number portability) are causing many people to retire their wireless products. Once retired, millions of cell phones will pollute our landfills unless recycling programs become more utilized.

Phones that end up in landfills can leak harmful chemicals including mercury, lead and cadmium into groundwater. Luckily, there are many ways to recycle cell phones and we have researched the easiest options for people in the CVWMA area.

Service Providers Who Recycle:
Here are three service providers who have excellent recycling programs where the phones are either refurbished and reused or donated to charities.

Nextel collects previously used wireless phones at Nextel Retail Stores or through the Nextel website. They accept any cell phones regardless of service provider, however if you are a Nextel customer you are in luck because they offer a credit to your account when you return a phone. The phones are donated to The Wireless Foundation and the American Red Cross Armed Forces.

Sprint Project Connect accepts retired cell phones at Sprint Stores and Easter Seals locations nationwide. 100% of the net proceeds generated through Sprint Project Connect donations benefit Easter Seals and the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) – two key organizations that serve people with disabilities. The remaining funds support the Wireless Foundation.

Verizon Wireless’ Hopeline Program takes phones at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store or you can mail your phone into the program. HopeLine is a multi-faceted program, primarily focusing on the prevention of domestic violence and increasing community awareness of this national epidemic.

Charities That Recycle:
The Wireless Foundation oversees philanthropic programs that utilize wireless technology to help American communities. Their programs include Donate-A-Phone®, Call To Protect®, ClassLink and VITA™. These programs benefit victims of domestic violence, Easter Seals, the National Organization on Disability, public schools and Samaritan Awards where wireless phones were used to summon help in an emergency. Visit their website to find a list of various donation sites.

RedJellyFish.com allows you to mail in your old cell phone and provides a postage paid label. Red Jellyfish donates proceeds from cell phones to help save rainforests.

Check With Your Service Provider:
We encourage you to also check with your service provider if it
is not listed in this article. Let them know that, as a customer, a recycling program is important to you. The more companies who recycle, the less phones will end up in landfills.