EPA Launches Cell Phone Recycling Campaign

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has teamed up with cell phone makers, service providers, and retailers to promote cell phone recycling.

The EPA and its "Plug-In to eCycling" partners said they would be involved in a year-long campaign to increase capacity and outreach about existing recycling programs; educate the community about the benefits of cell phone recycling, including how and where the phones can be recycled; and work with communities to hold special cell phone collection drives and events.

The EPA says recycling phones will save energy and reduce the greenhouse gas pollution that contributes to climate change.

According to the agency, as many as 150 million cellphones are taken out of service each year. The phones contain metals, plastics, glass and chemicals, all of which require energy to mine and make, and many of which could be hazardous if they end up in landfills and leach into the ground. Moreover, many old cellphones still work and can be donated to charities or distributed to poor people.

Until recently cellphones, which contain smaller amounts of metals and chemicals than the larger items, seemed less troublesome. But now their sheer volume poses problems. According to Sprint Nextel, there are more than 240 million wireless subscribers in the United States alone.

(January 10, 2008)

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