EPA Advocates Cell Phone Recycling at Consumer Electronics Show

 

LAS VEGAS, Jan 7 – ReCellular applauds the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new initiative to increase consumer awareness for cell-phone recycling. ReCellular processed 4 million phones in 2007. However, an estimated 100 million cell phones are still discarded every year, due to low consumer awareness for recycling options.

 

“Unfortunately, many people still don’t know that cell phones can be recycled,” says Chuck Newman, founder and CEO of ReCellular. “We’re working to change that, and to make recycling your cell phone as convenient as possible. Ultimately, we want customers to automatically think of recycling their phones just like they currently do with glass, paper and plastics.”

 

The EPA’s cell phone recycling program will help achieve that goal, and will help consumers understand the positive impact offered by wireless recycling companies like ReCellular.

 

Cell phone collections:

For 2007, ReCellular acquired more than 4 million phones through corporate, charitable and grassroots collections programs. This amount of phones is the equivalent of:

• 6.8 million kilograms of carbon emissions: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, producing 4 million cell phones would consume enough energy to power 7,600 homes for a year, and produce more than 6.8 million kilograms of carbon emissions.
• A year’s supply of gasoline for 4,000 vehicles: According to The Use Less Stuff Report, each cell phone produced consumes materials and energy equivalent to .75 gallons of gasoline. Four million phones represents saving the equivalent of 3 million gallons of gasoline in materials and energy usage. That’s enough to fuel 4,000 vehicles for one year, each averaging 20 miles per gallon for 15,000 miles.
• $2.5 million worth of precious metals: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, each wireless phone circuit board contains $0.63 – not factoring the cost of recovery – of gold, platinum, silver, palladium and copper. Cell phone circuit boards yield more gold per ton (300 grams of gold per ton of circuit boards) than ore from gold mine operations (five grams of gold per ton of ore).

 

 

Charitable Fundraising:

The vast majority of phones ReCellular processes are collected with support from retailers, charity groups and grassroots organizations. These partners create a nationwide network of more than 40,000 sites that collect cell phones of every make, model and age – enabling consumers to recycle their old phones safely and conveniently.

 

ReCellular pays these organizations for each phone collected, with the proceeds benefiting more than 100 non-profit partners nationwide.

In 2007, ReCellular provided more than $8 million for charities, including: the Verizon Wireless' HopeLine® Phone Recycling, the Motorola Race to Recycle school fundraising program, Cell Phones for Soldiers, and the March of Dimes.

 

Environmental Efforts:
Approximately than half of phones ReCellular collects are reconditioned and sold for reuse – considered to be the ultimate form of recycling.

 

Obsolete or non-functional phones are dismantled and sent to recycling partners to reclaim valuable materials. ReCellular’s zero-waste policy diverting 1,011,001 pounds of materials from landfills in 2007, including:

• Complete handsets and circuit boards, containing precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium
• Batteries, containing heavy metals such as nickel, iron, cadmium and lead
• Phone chargers, containing copper wiring
• Plastic phone housings, containing mixed plastics

 

ReCellular’s environmental initiatives are verified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2004 certification, a voluntary standard that facilitates improved environmental business management. The certification monitors not only ReCellular’s practices, but the practices of ReCellular’s recycling partners. These partners must submit to on-site audits by ReCellular to ensure environmentally sound processing, must commit to not send any scrap materials to landfills, and must commit to not deliver any scrap materials to developing countries for processing.

 

About ReCellular Inc.:

With offices in the United States, Hong Kong, and Brazil, ReCellular Inc. is the world’s foremost collector, reseller and recycler of used wireless phones and accessories. We provide solutions for the collection, reuse and recycling of used personal electronics that generate financial return for our partners, quality products for our customers, funding for charity organizations, and protection of the environment. Corporate, charitable, consumer and wholesale information is available at www.ReCellular.com.