50 million US homes own a working but disused mobile phone

A new phone recycling programme by GRC Wireless Recycling pays companies for their unwanted inventory of retired cellular phones. The company‘‘s Wireless Industry Recycling programme pays companies at least US$1 per pound for phones shipped to GRC‘‘s facility in Mirimar, Fla. GRC said it pays for shipping and recycling of the phones.

The company designed the programme to help companies comply with the California Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004, but it is not exclusive to the state of California. The programme is open to retailers, distributors, wholesalers and repair centers.

GRC Wireless recycles phones through its Reuse and Destruction & Refining programs. The Reuse programme collects phones and markets them to cellular operators that need inexpensive, outdated technology. Phones with no market value are processed through a shredding, smelting and precious metals refining process the company said is environmentally responsible.

ReCellular Inc. announced three new programmes aimed at growing the wireless industry‘‘s awareness of and focus on recycling and reuse efforts. The company unveiled a new plastics painting capability at its Ft. Worth, Texas, service facility that can paint or re-paint handset housings and batteries to factory-new standards. The company also offered postage-paid donation self-mailers for the Call To Protect campaign, which collects donated wireless phones to help victims of domestic violence, during CTIA Wireless 2005.

Finally, ReCellular announced its Cell Phone Data Eraser programme, which helps consumers permanently erase all personal information from their used wireless phones prior to donation. ReCellular is working together with eBay to make the service part of eBay‘‘s Rethink Initiative, which recently was expanded to include wireless efforts. The Cell Phone Data Eraser database covers more than 250 wireless phone models.

Ebay recently commissioned a survey that found 25 percent of U.S. households currently have a working cell phone that is not being used and that the average cell phone is replaced about every 18 months.

CTIA and CTIA‘‘s Wireless Foundation are both members of eBay‘‘s Rethink programme. Other new members include CollectiveGood Foundation, March of Dimes, Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp. and Verizon Wireless‘‘ HopeLine programme. Ebay launched the Rethink programme earlier this year.

"Wireless devices, including cell phones, are one of the most commonly replaced and upgraded consumer electronics products, but individuals and businesses are often at a loss when it comes to getting rid of such items in environmentally sound ways," said Cathy Siciliano, director of eBay‘‘s Cell Phones & Portable Electronics categories. "Through Rethink, we want consumers to know that the industry has created a wealth of methods for them to dispose of those items responsibly, including finding new users for such goods by selling on eBay or donating to charity."