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Castoff cellular phones are being turned into lifelines

The movement to recycle discarded cell phones is growing. Some are exchanged for cash, others are put in the hands of abuse survivors.

By DAVE GUSSOW
Published August 22, 2005

To Linda Osmundson, there is no such thing as a cell phone that is too old or useless.

Osmundson, executive director of the St. Petersburg shelter Community Action Stops Abuse, gives out hundreds of hand-me-down phones each year to women and children who may need them in case of an emergency.

"That's a real good lifeline," Osmundson said. "We get quite a few donated, so we can hand them out without limiting them."

Most of the phones have no service contract and can only dial 911, but that's an important capability for abuse victims, Osmundson says. Phones that cannot be used are recycled, turning into cash to help the shelter for domestic violence victims.

For charity, for cash, for the environment, the movement to recycle cell phones is growing. A number of Web sites have cropped up to entice people to sell their old phones, figuring that people will be interested in getting at least a few bucks back from their investment. And phone drives are aiding charities and other nonprofits, as well.

It is estimated that 100-million cell phones a year are exchanged for newer models, tossed out, put in drawers to gather dust or sent back to manufacturers or carriers because of warranty issues or exchange programs. The average life span of a cell phone is about 18 months.

Only 25-30 percent of those phones are recycled, says Mike Newman, vice president of marketing for ReCellular, a major cell phone recycler in Dexter, Mich. ReCellular (www.recellular.net) has about half the market, he says, and this year will handle about 4-million phones.

Just as with other electronic waste, phones have batteries, circuit boards and some metals that can cause environmental problems when they're thrown away.

"The phone challenge is more a death by a billion cuts," Newman said. "On their own, they're not particularly hazardous. But there are so many of them that they become a significant issue."

ReCellular, which works with major carriers, electronics retailers and charities such as the March of Dimes, receives as many as 900 phone models. Taking out the dead phones that make up about 25 percent of the haul, the company refurbishes working models for resale in 49 states (not Hawaii) and 40 countries.

In the United States, many of the phones go for prepaid plans, Newman says. Internationally, particularly in developing countries, there is no stigma to buying refurbished.

ReCellular can receive perhaps $150 for a recent or current model of a popular phone such as the Razr, down to a few bucks for older models that may have been on the market for years.

Recyclers and others also are making it easy for people to send in their phones. Carriers such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint have dropoff boxes in their stores, as well as information on their Web sites for free mailers.

People also can get prepaid mailers from sites such as CellPhonesforCash.com, RipMobile.com and OldCellPhone.com.

"Last year, we probably did $100,000 with outreach through the HopeLine program," said Chuck Hamby, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless.

The company collected 600 phones at one Bucs' game last year. Verizon Wireless chose to work with CASA and other groups that deal with domestic violence because it was an issue that had been under the radar and needed the help, Hamby said.

Sprint donates money it makes from recycling to schools in its Sprint Project Connect. It keeps tabs on where it collects phones so "we make sure the money goes back to the community," says Nanci Schwartz, communications manager for Sprint.

Dave Gussow can be reached at 727 771-4328 or gussow@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 19, 2005, 17:49:02]