Canadian Cell Phone Recycling Program Rolled Out

Canadians who are tired of their out-of-date and/or broken old cellphones can now find alternatives to tossing them, and their toxic innards, into the trash. That’s good news not only for Canadian jurisdictions who have to cope with growing piles of e-waste but also for American communities that receive Canadian trash for disposal.

 

Recycle My Cell, is a new Web-based nationwide initiative launched by the Canada's wireless industry that lets users find out where and how to properly dispose of their cell phones and other wireless devices - regardless of carrier, brand, or condition.

The free program, which incorporates numerous existing cell phone recycling initiatives across the country, is organized by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA (News - Alert)) in conjunction with cell phone service providers, handset manufacturers and recycling companies.

Recycle My Cell can be adopted by provinces and municipalities as part of their initiatives to manage e-waste. Nova Scotia, on Canada’s east coast, is the first province to have done so.

 

“I am pleased to announce that Nova Scotia is the first Canadian province to officially adopt the Recycle My Cell program as part of provincial e-waste management regulations,” says David Morse, Minister of Environment. “Canada's wireless industry is to be commended for its ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility in the area of environmental stewardship.”

 

The goal of Recycle My Cell is to raise awareness about the importance of cell phone recycling and keep handsets from entering Canada's landfills. The proceeds from the recycled wireless devices go to benefit many local and national charities.

 

Many different items are accepted for recycling, including cell phones, smartphones, pagers, aircards, batteries, chargers and accessories. After the devices are received, they are sent to recycling plants where they can be taken apart for scrap or be refurbished. Proceeds from the sales of refurbished phones and scrap materials are donated to numerous national and local charities.

 

All of the recycling companies involved with the Recycle My Cell program are ISO 14001:2004 certified, which means that they have environmental management systems in place which ensures accountability and knowledge of the associated environmental impacts.

 

Recycle My Cell is made possible with participation from Bell, GREENTEC, KYOCERA, Motorola, MTS, Nokia, ReCellular, Research In Motion, Rogers Communications, Samsung, SaskTel, TbayTel, TELUS and Virgin Mobile (News - Alert) Canada.

“Canada's wireless companies have long been leaders in developing green business strategies,” says CWTA President and CEO Bernard Lord. “The new Recycle My Cell program further illustrates that thinking green doesn't need to be complicated, yet the results can have a major impact on protecting our environment and enriching the communities in which we live.”