My Cellphone My Terms

Great opportunities exist to recycle cell phones

Why is it when we think about reusing or recycling, we rarely think about our old cell phones? It either goes in a drawer somewhere or straight into the garbage. But you can do something about it. Give it to someone who needs it, donate it to charity or recycle it.Why are we not making every reasonable attempt to reduce our carbon footprint? When we think of going green, why don’t we think of cellphones? In Canada, there are over 20 million cellular phone subscribers and studies show that Canadians, on average, keep their cellphones for roughly 24 months. That means that over 9 million devices are replaced each year and that means roughly 9 million cell phone devices either end up in some remote drawer or in the garbage What percentage of those devices do you think are being recycled? 50%? 25%? Try 10%. We can do better than that.

The hard reality is that cell phones are like any other electronic device. They contain hazardous materials that do irrevocable damage to the environment. We owe it to the future of the planet to think twice about what we do when we get a new cell phone. So what are your options? The first option is to donate the cell phone to someone who could use it. Some people require phones for emergency purposes only while others can not afford the cost of a new phone. Give it to these people. Another option would be to donate your cell phone to local charity groups, schools or community groups. Extend the life your cellphone so we can help the environment.

When the world looks at Canada, they will say “There is a country that gets it!”

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