Dumping old cell phones is harmful to the environment, but many people do not know how to get rid of them responsibly. Friendly Computers found a useful article that provides a few different options for discarding your old cell phones in an environmentally-friendly way. Read more below…
You have a number of options. Many AT&T Mobility, Sprint and Verizon Wireless stores accept used phones, which they recycle or refurbish and donate to nonprofits. They also accept batteries and chargers.
You also can get rid of the phones through the U.S. Postal Service's Mail Back program, which lets people mail old phones in for recycling, postage-free. They'll even give you envelopes for the phones. About 1,500 post offices around the country participate in the pilot program.
Depending on the model of your phone, you may be able to sell it - the Web is replete with companies offering cash for old phones. And lastly, you can donate the phones directly to a nonprofit - either a local charity or an online group such as CellPhonesforSoldiers.com.
Before you dump an old phone, make sure to terminate your service plan, erase personal information on the phone and remove the SIM card if the phone has one.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/19/BU1218Q0LU.DTL
