Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What makes the Recycle
My Cell Phone campaign different than other cell phone
collections?
This campaign is a grassroots effort to build awareness
about recycling and the environmental impacts of cell
phone waste. Through our various campaigns, EARTHWORKS
seeks to educate consumers about the impacts of their
purchases, beginning with the extraction of raw materials
through the end of product life. By inviting others
to participate and benefit from the campaign we hope
to achieve a critical mass and significantly increase
the rate of cell phone recycling -- to date, the industry
and other collection campaigns combined have recycled
less than 2% of retired cell phones. We can and should
do better!
The Recycle My Cell Phone campaign
accepts all makes and models of phones, beepers, PDA's
(like palm pilots), chargers and accessories. There
are other programs and companies who claim to be recycling
to protect the environment, but only want specific makes
and models of phones, and have no credentials on how
they dispose of the toxic materials they process.
All cell phones collected by the Recycle My
Cell Phone campaign will be recycled in a responsible
manner. Toxic waste will not be exported to developing
countries and hazardous materials will be processed
and disposed of according to the strictest environmental
standards. For more info read our environmental
principles.
In addition to raising awareness and promoting recycling,
participating non-profit organizations and schools will
also raise funds for their important work. On average,
each charity gets $1 per phone they collect!
Q: What are the environmental
and public health impacts of cell phone waste?
There are more than 500 million used cell phones in the US sitting on shelves or in our landfills, and another 130 million will be added this year alone. The problem is growing at a rate of more than 2 million phones per week!
Cell phones contain toxic materials such as lead, mercury,
beryllium, arsenic, cadmium, and antimony. If incinerated
these substances can pollute the air, in landfills they
can leach into groundwater.
Many of the materials found in cell phones are also
on the EPA's list of persistent bioaccumulative toxins
(PBTs). Because PBTs accumulate in fatty tissue of humans
and animals, the toxins are gradually concentrated,
putting those at the top of the food chain at the greatest
risk, especially children. According to the EPA, "PBTs
are associated with a range of adverse human health
effects, including damage to the nervous system, reproductive
and developmental problems, cancer and genetic impacts."
Q: What happens to my
phone?
EARTHWORKS has teamed up with CollectiveGood
to either refurbish or recycle your old cell phone using
the highest environmental and social standards.
Cell phones and accessories received in working order can be recycled back into reuse, the highest form of recycling. If the cell phone is broken, but has useful parts, CollectiveGood will cannibalize it, and create working phones from the scraps. These affordable refurbished cell phones help bridge the digital divide and improve the quality of life for people in the developing world who purchase them.
CollectiveGood recycles everything that cannot be used: the batteries, chargers, accessories - even the boxes and donation forms-they are very proud of the fact that they do not have a dumpster at their facility!
CollectiveGood maintains close supervision of the disposal
of all materials, meaning it does not export hazardous
waste to developing countries, dump hazardous waste
in municipal landfills or use prison labor. Cell phones
are recycled in accordance with the Electronics
Recycler's Pledge of True Stewardship, the world's
most rigorous environmental and social justice criteria
for recycling E-waste.
In addition, CollectiveGood is also an active supporter
and participates in both the EPA
WasteWise program, as well they are a national level
sponsor of EPA's
Plug-In To eCycling.
Q: Can I just mail in my
used cell phone?
Yes! You can deduct both the value of the phone and the postage paid to mail it. By mailing your phone directly to our recycler you help us reduce overhead costs, and those savings are used to promote the campaign and reach more people. Just send your phone to:
Recycle My Cell Phone/Collective Good
4508 Bibb Blvd.,
Suite B-10
Tucker, GA 30084
Q: What kinds of phones can be recycled?
We accept all makes and models of cell phones, PDAs,
and beepers whether they work or not! We also accept
the chargers, batteries and accessories.
Q: Are there privacy concerns or risks that I
may get phone bills from the next person who uses my
old phone?
As long as your phone has been deactivated from service, there are no security or privacy concerns. When the phones are refurbished, they are completely cleared and reprogrammed, erasing any trace of your ownership. This includes erasing the phone book, so your privacy is protected and you have no chance of getting a bill from the next owner.
Q: Can I organize my own cell phone collection?
Yes. Help us reach our goal of recycling one million
cell phones by signing up your business, non-profit
organization or school to become
a partner -- it's easy, free, and we will provide
a kit that includes everything you need!
In addition to raising awareness and promoting recycling, participating non-profit organizations and schools will also be raising funds for their important work. On average, each charity gets $1 per phone collected!
Q: Are cell phone donations tax deductible?
Yes, you can deduct the value of the phone and any
postage used to mail it in! Typically the tax-deduction
value for the phone is determined by the date and price
of purchase, depreciated at 20% a year. However, we
cannot offer you tax advice and suggest you discuss
the matter with your accountant or tax advisor.
A tax receipt will be available with the confirmation
email sent to you when you donate a phone through the
website. We would also be happy to send you a tax receipt
when you make a cell phone donation by any other means.
Q: I don't live in the United States but I'd like to recycle my phone or partner with the campaign - how can I do this?
Because we respect international agreements that ban the export and trade of hazardous waste, the Recycle My Cell Phone campaign does not accept phones from outside of the United States.
The campaign supports the Basel Convention that limits the of transboundary movement of hazardous waste (and potentially hazardous waste like untested cell phones). We applaud individuals outside the U.S. that want to responsibly recycle their retired cell phones but we urge them to limit the transboundary movement of e-waste by calling for recycling programs in their own country. This can be done by contacting cell phone manufacturers, service providers, policy makers and other environmental organizations to share concerns about the issue. In addition, we urge these individuals to support national and international regulatory efforts on electronics recycling.
More information on the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is here. More information on international cell phone recycling efforts is here.
Q: Does the Recycle My Cell Phone campaign/EARTHWORKS
make money from phones recycled through recyclemycellphone.org?
The Recycle My Cell Phone campaign/EARTHWORKS (or a RMCP partner, if a person who recycles their phone on the RMCP site arrives here by link from a RMCP partner's web site) receives approximately $1 per phone recycled. All funds received from Collective Good are used exclusively to promote cell phone recycling, to support voluntary recycling efforts and for public education.
Q: Can I purchase the phones collected by the Recycle My Cell Phone campaign (or the scrap plastic or metal produced by the recycling process)?
The Recycle My Cell Phone campaign's recycler (Collective Good) has already established relationships with a number of vendors to deal with the phones collected by the campaign. Collective Good is not currently looking to expand on these relationships and therefore neither Collective Good nor EARTHWORKS are able to respond to individual inquiries regarding sales.
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