How To Help The Environment By Recycling Your Cellular Phone

The skyrocketing consumer consumption of cellular phones has created new environmental challenges. Mobile phones contain potentially toxic materials that are accumulating in landfills before finding their way into the soil water and air.

Circuit boards and semiconductors contain cadmium. Batteries and switches contain mercury and other unfriendly chemicals. Plastics that are burned can give off Dioxin. All of these substances can be hazardous to the environment.

Recycling your old cellular phones, PDA, batteries, chargers, or other accessories, recovers valuable materials and reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. You can dispose of and recycle your used cellular phones and batteries in an environmentally friendly manner. Be kind to mother earth, recycle.

Before you Recycle or Donate

Make sure that you have terminated your service contract for the phone and erased any data before you donate or recycle your cell phone.

To make sure that all of the personal information is cleared from the phone, you can manually delete all information and remove the SIM card. I suggest you contact your service provider or phone manufacturer for instructions. There are also data erasing tools you can use.

Here is a site that lists 50 places where you can recycle or donate your cell phone: 50 Ways to Leave Your Cell Phone