SmallBizResource Blog -- Green

Answer the EPA's Cellphone Call

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Jan 8, 2008, 09:56 AM ET

Like my earrings and watch, I feel almost naked when I forget my cellphone. Get in the car, don my Bluetooth headset, dial into a conference call and, oh yeah, start the ignition. I couldn’t possibly waste time just driving.

But here's an even bigger waste: tossing out your cellphone when you buy a new one. (To be sure, there are plenty of new ones to be had; Motorola, Nokia and Sony all debuted new models—smartphones, too--at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.) That’s why today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a $175,000 public-service campaign that urges us to recycle our old phones, many of which contain parts that could be hazardous if they wind up in landfills, according to The New York Times.

As many as 150 million cellphones are taken out of service each year, according to the EPA, which is partnering with 11 cellphone companies (including the ones mentioned above) to help spread the "Recycle Your Cellphone. It’s an Easy Call" message. Many of those trash-bound phones, in fact, still work and can be donated to people in need.

"Cellphones are just the tip of the electronic waste iceberg now, but they could become a massive environmental problem,” said Beth Trask, manager for corporate partnerships at Environmental Defense.

No matter what size your business, doing your part to help others and our planet doesn’t get much easier than this.

Green