Cell phones: calling it quits

When the time comes to say goodbye how will you handle it?

By SANDY LONG

PORT JERVIS, NY — One hundred million cell phones are approaching end-of-life management in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which also estimates that fewer than 20 percent of cell phones are recycled annually. To address this growing environmental problem, the EPA recently launched “Plug-In to eCycling,” a campaign targeting the proper disposal and recycling of one of America’s favorite electronic gadgets and its accessories.

The EPA has partnered with cell phone manufacturers, service providers and retailers like AT&T, Best Buy, Nokia, Motorola, Office Depot, Staples and others to increase existing recycling programs, educate the public about the benefits and locations of recycling and conduct community cell phone collection drives.

Some of us still toss our cell phones in the trash, a definite no-no since the phones contain materials that are bad for the environment and for human health. But with four out of five Americans owning cell phones, and the average American cell phone being replaced every 12 months, the issue of cell phone disposal has become a pressing one.

According to Jason Plummer of ARI Industries in Port Jervis, many consumers are uncertain just what to do with their old cell phones when they obtain new ones. The company recycles most forms of electronic trash and accepts discarded phones at their facility on Mechanic Street. The phones are sorted into those that can be reused and those that must be disassembled for recycling.

Instead of stashing old phones in a drawer or closet, Plummer encourages cell phone consumers to give their phones a chance at a second life. “We think the best way to recycle is to reuse,” said Plummer, who added that ARI is trying to become established as a drop off point for the Cell Phones for Soldiers program (see below).

In “The Afterlife of Cell Phones” by Jon Mooallem in The New York Times, it is reported that Americans threw away nearly three million tons of household electronics in 2006. And while the discardability of cell phones is a bust for the growing electronic waste stream, it is also a boon for recyclers, since most cell phones contain silver, copper, platinum and gold.

“Each one contains about a dollar’s worth of precious metals, mostly gold,” writes Mooallem. “And while single phones house far less hazardous material than a computer—an old, clunky monitor can incorporate seven pounds of lead—their cumulative presence is staggering.”

To get a sense of this impact, the website for Collective Good ( www.CollectiveGood.com ), an environmentally and socially responsible mobile devices recycling resource, directs viewers to the work of photographer Chris Jordan at www.chrisjordan.com. Jordan’s recent work, “Running the Numbers,” depicts 426,000 cell phones, equal to the number of cell phones retired in the United States every day.

In the series, Jordan examines American culture through the “lens of statistics.” He notes, “Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: 15 million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (30 seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone.”

Hope on the horizon

While Jordan intends that his work emphasizes the role that individuals play, corporations are increasingly being held accountable for their roles as well. In New York, the NYS Wireless Recycling Act now requires all wireless telephone service providers offering phones for sale to accept used cell phones for reuse or recycling. Businesses must accept up to 10 cell phones from any person or provide shipping for those phones.

And industry leaders, entrepreneurs, designers and media professionals gathered at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City in early February to discuss the greening of the consumer electronics industry. Participants discussed take-back and recycling programs, product energy efficiency, environmentally sensitive materials, sustainable design and product-lifecycle management.

Saying farewell to your cell phone

• Electronics should never be discarded in household trash. The best disposal strategy is reuse. Give your cell phone a second life by donating it to an organization that refurbishes old phones for redistribution. Such phones serve as lifelines for victims of domestic violence ( www.wirelessfoundation.org/CalltoProtect/index.cfm ); Cell Phones for Soldiers provides used cell phones to soldiers overseas (www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com); RMS Communications Group, Inc. runs a reuse/recycling program that lets consumers donate a portion of proceeds to a charitable organization of their choice ( www.cellphonerecycling.com/ ).

• Recycle cell phone, personal digital assistant, cell phone batteries, chargers and other accessories by dropping off or mailing them to participating partners in the EPA recycling program. Visit www.epa.gov/cellphone/cell-recycling-locations.htm to find locations or mailing addresses.

• Pike and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania schedule occasional electronics recycling events. Dates have not yet been set, but spring e-cleanups are on the horizon for both. Call 570/253-9727 for Wayne County information and 570/296-3434 for Pike County information. Sullivan County offers electronic recycling at its center in Monticello, NY as well as at all transfer stations. There is no charge for cell phones, but residents are encouraged to investigate reuse options first.

• ARI Industries will accept cell phones at its location on 41 Mechanic Street, Port Jervis, NY. 845/858-8809, www.advancedrecovery.com

• Take your old cell phones to the South Street Gallery in Waymart, PA throughout the month of March. The phones will be sent for reuse or recycling and proceeds will benefit the Dessin Animal Shelter.