Cell Phone Recycling Program

RECYCLE CELL PHONES, HELP THE ANTI-CRUELTY SOCIETY, AND SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT!

The Anti-Cruelty Society is now collecting used cell phones! Just drop your unwanted cell phone off with our Customer Service Staff or at the Clinic Front Desk. The Anti-Cruelty Society has partnered with ECO-CELL, a company which pays organizations for collecting used cell phones, batteries, and accessories.  Through ECO-CELL’s innovative program, 70% of the phones collected will be used by first-time, low income users abroad or by selected local organizations, such as Battered Women’s Programs for emergency use (911 calls).  ECO-CELL runs a strict NO LANDFILL Program! All items received by ECO-CELL, including batteries, accessories, and cell phones with no resale value, will be recycled using the best demonstrated technologies for recycling e-waste. For more information please visit www.eco-cell.org.

We hope you will support us in our fundraising efforts so we can continue our work to help the animals through our many life saving programs and services...and at the same time, you will be helping to protect our environment.

THE ENVIRONMENT

The world is becoming concerned about the waste that is generated from electronic products, and for good reason. While cell phones represent a small percentage of this total waste, due to their small size and rapid replacement cycle, they are more likely to end up in landfills where their toxins poison our environment. Cell phones and their accessories contain a large number of hazardous substances known as Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic Chemicals (PBTs), including arsenic, cadmium, and lead. These materials can linger in the environment for a long time and have adverse effects on human and animal health.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT CELL PHONES AND RECYCLING

The demand for cellular phones is on the increase and the average ‘lifespan’ of these phones is on the decrease. Currently there are more than 150 million cellular phone users in the United States. It is estimated that 100 million cell phones are ‘retired’ annually in this country. This in addition to the estimated 500 million already “stockpiled”. Of the 500 million+ phones no longer being used, 75% of them are in drawers in people’s homes or offices. Less than 10% of these phones are recycled properly. Given their small size they are much more likely to be thrown out with the trash and end up in a landfill. The EPA estimates that this quantity of cell phones is equal to about 250,000 tons of toxic materials; the printed boards alone from this quantity of phones, if discarded improperly, would release over 300,000 pounds of lead into the environment.