Posted on Sat, Mar. 18, 2006

IN BRIEF
Q: I just upgraded to a new cell phone, but the old one is still usable. What can I do with it?
A: A number of organizations collect cell phones for reuse by battered-women’s shelters and other charities, or by low-income people in developing countries.
The Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, zoos, for example, collect phones for a program called Eco-Cell. It accepts all cell phones and accessories, regardless of age or condition, and pays the collecting organizations for some working digital phones. Phones that can’t be reused are disassembled and their parts recycled in environmentally responsible ways.
Organizations such as church and school groups sometimes recycle cell phones as a fund-raiser, and some cell-phone stores accept phones for recycling. You can find information on stores that do at www.recyclewirelessphones.com.
It’s a good idea to remove the numbers in your contact list or other personal information before you donate.