Cell Phones
| Reuse | Recycle | Disposal |
|---|---|---|
AT&T sponsors Cell Phones For Soldiers, a nonprofit organization that uses funds from recycled cell phones to buy prepaid phone cards for active duty military personnel. There are over 2,000 company-owned wireless store locations across the country as drop-off sites for recycling.
Verizon sponsors HopeLine. This is a program that collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless service provider. The phones are then refurbished or recycled in an environmentally sound way. Refurbished phones, complete with 3,000 minutes of wireless service, are provided to local domestic violence organizations or local government and law enforcement agencies for use with their domestic violence clients. | Cell phones can also be returned to the place of purchase.
You can drop off old cell phones to Home Depot, Best Buy, or Target.
Also see Call2Recycle's website to locate a drop-off location for rechargeable batteries and cell phones. | Cell phones contain batteries, and cannot be put into your waste for pickup. Additionally, many cell phones contain heavy metals which can contaminate the environment. Please us one of the other disposal options outlined above. |
Additional Information This item contains hazardous waste and must be disposed of properly. It cannot be placed with your waste for pickup.
It's a good idea to remove personal information before you dispose of your cell phone. Permanent data deletion usually requires several steps. Remove the memory or subscriber identity module (SIM) card from the phone. That's an important first step in deleting information, but you likely will need to do more to erase all the sensitive data on your device. Go HERE for more information on how to remove you personal information. | ||