Every year, 100 million cell phones are replaced or discarded in the United States. Less than 20% of this total are recycled or sent back to the manufacturers – the rest are lost, thrown to trash bins, or kept in drawers.

Why donate or recycle cell phones?

Cell phones are an important source for recyclable materials like plastic, glass, silver, gold, and coltan. Throwing away these old phones is basically equivalent to throwing away precious resources that could otherwise be reused to manufacture new cellular phones and other products.

A grimmer aspect to cell phone recycling is the toxicity of some of the metals found in cell phones. Once deposited in landfills, dangerous chemicals leaching out of old phone casing and batteries like brominated fire retardants (BFR), cadmium, lead, and mercury have the potential to contaminate nearby underground water sources. These chemicals have been known to cause cancer, brain damage, and nervous system disorders, among a host of other illnesses.

Donate cell phones to charity or non-profit

Donating your used mobile phone to your