Reused and Recyled Cell Phones - Good for the Environment

In 2005, it was estimated that Americans stopped using over 100 million cell phones in favor of newer models. Some of these were stashed in a drawer for use in case of an emergency, others were recycled, and many were thrown away in the garbage. Those that ended up in the garbage were either sent to decay in landfills or sent to the incinerator to be burned. Both cases are bad. Cell phones are made of metals, plastics, and potentially harmful chemicals that are not good seeping in to our soil via landfill waste or being burned into our atmosphere. With the current focus on green living, it should be no surprise that something as simple as a cell phone is also part of the bigger equation.

So, what can you do to reduce the environmental impact that your cell phone has?

Reduce: You can make an impact by simply reducing your cell phone turnover time. Instead of upgrading to a new phone every 12 months, why not wait for 24 months? Or, better yet, use the phone until it has no useful life left in it.

Reuse: If your phone gets broken, do yourself and the world a favor and buy a used cell phone as a replacement. Used or refurbished cell phones can be found at much cheaper prices and have the added environmental impact that they will be one less phone that ends up in a landfill or an incinerator.

Recycle: If you must upgrade to a new phone, or if your old phone simply dies, you should recycle it. There are a variety of places to drop off used cell phones where they will be collected and recycled. Recycling cell phones reduces waste, saves energy, and helps keep our planet cleaner.

If we all taking the simple steps of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle with our cell phones we can make a difference. Next time you feel the need for a new phone and want something fancy, do yourself a favor and go online and check out the selection of used phones. You'd be surprised how many used Blackberry, Treos, and other Smart Phones you can get for good prices when you look at used phones.