By Sharon Housley

Cellular phones and other mobile devices often contain toxic materials that can pollute the environment. The chemicals contained in the cell phones and electronics are harmful to the health of both humans and animals. Cell phones and their accessories contain a large number of hazardous substances known as Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Chemicals (PBTs). Some of the chemicals contained in the PBTs have been known to cause damage to nervous systems, reproductive systems, and developmental systems, as well as causing cancer.

When recycled properly, the materials can be put back into circulation, reducing the health risks to the community. The materials that are contained in old cell phones can often be recycled and reused to make a variety of other products. Additionally, in order to comply with environmental protection regulations, many countries have very specific requirements and methods for disposing of cell phones, batteries, and other toxic items. Rather than wrestling with disposal guidelines yourself, it is often much easier to just sell or donate old cell phones to a company qualified to recycle them.

-- Selling Cellular Phones

The following are companies and organizations that will assist you with recycling or selling old cell phones...

SimplySellular
Sell your old cell phones for cash. SimplySellular offers competitive prices for used cellphones. Older models obviously bring less money than newer ones. https://www.simplysellular.com/

Gazelle
Gazelle buys and sells cell phones and other electronics devices. https://www.gazelle.com/

-- Donating Cellular Phones

The following are companies and organizations that will assist you with donating old cell phones for good causes...

Collective Good
CollectiveGood accepts cell phone donations. The process is very simple -- simply 1) select a charity, 2) submit your contact information (so they can send you a tax receipt), and 3) send in your phone or other donations. CollectiveGood has a list of over 700 charities that your donation can be credited toward. https://www.collectivegood.com/

American Cell Phone Drive
AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org raises funds for charitable organizations. Their cellular phone collection drives have also been used as fundraisers for schools and community recreation programs. They have also been used to provide working telephones and 911 service to at-risk individuals, such as indigent senior citizens, who would otherwise be without such phone service. To donate your cell phone to AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org , simply go to their website (listed below), enter your ZipCode in the box to find an AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org donation center or box near your home, and then just drop off your deactivated cell phone. https://www.americancellphonedrive.org/

Cell Phones For Soldiers
Cell Phones for Soldiers is working to turn old cell phones into minutes of prepaid calling cards for US troops stationed overseas. Cell Phones for Soldiers collects a large number of old cellular phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country. The phones are then sent to the ReCellular company, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone. The payments from ReCellular are then used to purchase talk-time for soldiers abroad. https://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/

Eco-Cell

Fundraising can be made easy. Just donate old cell phones for cash and become an eco-friendly fundraiser. https://www.eco-cell.org/

Recycling For Charities
Donate your old cell phone, PDA, digital camera, or iPod to be recycled, and benefit the charity of your choice! https://www.recyclingforcharities.com/index.php

Most of the final cell phone collection sites repair the cell phones that can be restored to working condition. Unrepairable phones are broken down and recycled, in accordance with all state and federal regulations governing the disposal of toxic cell phone components.

NotePage is making an effort to be environmentally friendly. Imagine the difference each of us can make if we just do our part!

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll https://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage https://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.