PLUG-IN TO
         Recycle Your Cell Phone.  It's An  Easy Call.         T^JCYCLING

    As cell phones, computers, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) become more prominent in our everyday lives,
    the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking steps to encourage consumers to recycle these
    products instead of adding them to our nation's landfills. As part of this initiative, EPA's Plug-In To eCycling
    program has teamed up with leading cell phone makers, service providers, and retailers to launch a national
    campaign encouraging Americans to recycle or donate their unwanted cell phones. The "Recycle Your Cell Phone.
    It's An Easy Call" campaign aims to increase the public's awareness of cell phone recycling and  donation
    opportunities, with the  ultimate goal of increasing the nation's cell phone recycling rate. Plug-In To eCycling
    partners supporting this campaign are: AT&T; Best Buy; LG Electronics; Motorola; Nokia; Office  Depot; Samsung;
    Sony Ericsson; Sprint;  Staples; and, T-Mobile.

    To kick off the initiative, the Campaign has released a series of print public service announcements that highlight
    the convenience and environmental and social benefits of recycling a cell phone. EPA has also released a series
    of downloadable podcasts featuring experts in the electronics recycling field discussing the many ways that
    consumers can reuse and recycle their electronics and addressing many common questions and concerns. During
    2008, look for the Campaign to host special cell phone collection events and increase publicity for our partners'
    recycling programs.

    EPA has targeted cell phone recycling because, despite the large number of programs, most consumers still do
    not know where or how they can recycle their cell phones.  Consequently, less than 20 percent of unwanted cell
    phones are recycled each year. Recycling cell phones leads to significant environmental savings and can benefit
    communities.
       Recycling: an Easy Call • Every day there are thousands of opportunities to recycle cell phones and
       accessories.  Many cell phone retailers, manufacturers, and service providers have ongoing collection
       programs where phones can be dropped  off or mailed in—regardless of the  age or brand.  Some
       charitable organizations and state or municipal solid waste programs also offer cell phone recycling.  In
       most cases, cell phone recycling is free.
       Recycling: a Green Call • Recycling cell phones helps the environment by saving energy and keeping
       useable and valuable materials out of landfills and incinerators.  Cell phones are made from precious
       metals, copper, and plastics—all of which require energy to mine and manufacture.  Recycling these
       materials not only  conserves  resources,  but  prevents air and water pollution  and  greenhouse gas
       emissions. In fact, if all of the 100 million cell phones ready for end of life management in the U.S. are
       recycled, we could  save enough energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households with electricity
       for one year.
       Recycling: a Social Call • Donating your cell phone also benefits your community. When cell phones
       and accessories are in  good working condition, some programs donate them to a number of worthy
       charities or provide them  for discounted sale to those who need them.  In addition, many recycling
       programs use the proceeds to raise funds for charitable organizations,  schools, churches and  other
       social causes. In some  cases, programs buy the phone back from the consumer.
     ReCYC   -/ft) it's an                     To learn more, go to www.epa.gov/cellphones .
       ***** • ^^^^ /•"•"//aof~*\i  ^		
     YOUR CELL PHONE. Q/ cdoy
EPA530-F-07-046
January 2008

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