There are over 130 million cell phones retired every year in the U.S., and fewer than 26 million get recycled. Where are yours?
Q: Why should I recycle my old cell phones?
A: It will help generate lasting solutions for women in poverty and reduce the amount of hazardous waste that is dumped into our landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ):
- Each cell phone recycled helps prevent about 66 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
- Recycling just one million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for one year.
- Recycling all 100 million cell phones ready for end of life management would save enough energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households with electricity for one year.
Q: Why should I recycle my cell phones with Good Deed Foundation?
A: Every cell phone recycled at www.GoodDeedFoundation.org earns funds to help create lasting solutions for women and families in poverty and climate change.
- A minimum of 90% of funds generated are distributed to charity.
Q: How can I help?
A: Recycling is fast and easy! Just visit www.GoodDeedFoundation.org/recycle to request a free, postage-paid envelope or print a shipping label to recycle your cell phones. Or, request a free box to start a cell phone collection in your community. Remember – in all cases, if you pay for the postage it will help offset our costs, and provide that much more funding to help women and families in poverty and climate change!
Q: How long does it take to receive an envelope or collection box?
A: Please allow approximately seven to ten days for delivery.
Q: What if I need to get materials more quickly?
A: That’s great! Simply click here.
Q: Will I have to pay postage?
A: No, the envelopes, labels and collection boxes are already addressed and postage is prepaid. But you can choose to make your good deed go farther. If you choose to cover the postage it allows more funds to go to charity to create lasting solutions for women and families in poverty and climate change. To do this, place your old phones in your Good Deed envelope and bring it to the Post Office to apply the correct postage.
Q: How are the cell phones recycled?
A: About 60% of cell phones recycled are in good working order and can be refurbished and resold. These cell phones generate the greatest amount of revenue to help dismantle poverty and resolve climate change.
A portion of the phones recycled are programmed to dial only 911 for use in emergencies and donated to domestic violence survivors, elders and low-income people at risk.
The rest are recycled according to the EPA standards and returned to the materials stream
Q: How should I prepare my phone before I recycle it?
A: Make sure your phone is de-activated. All personal information is removed from refurbished phones; however, any sensitive information should be removed prior to donating your cell phone. Find out how to remove information from your specific phone model by visiting wirelessrecycling.com.
Q: What about my cell phone battery, charger and all of the accessories I bought for my cell phone?
A: They can be recycled, too! Just include them in your envelope or box when you mail in your cell phone.
Q: My cell phone is really old, are you sure it can still be recycled?
A: Yes! These old phones should still be recycled, to prevent harmful greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere.
Q: Are there other ways I, or an organization I am part of, can help this cell phone drive?
A: Yes! Here are some simple acts that will help:
- Place collection boxes throughout your community. Simply order them here!
- When mailing your old phones, pay for the postage. This will help maximize the funds to help lift women and families out of poverty and provide solutions to climate change.
- Help Good Deed spread the word!
- Email your friends and family using our eCards
- Place a Good Deed Widget on your website!
- Include a mention of the Good Deed cell phone recycling program in your newsletter.
Q: How many phones fit in a collection box?
A: Approximately 25-30 cell phones can fit in the collection boxes to be placed in your local stores, libraries, places of worship, and other locations. To make it easy for you, the collection box is also a pre-addressed, postage page mailing box. Simply call FedEx for a pick up when the box is full.
Q: Is there a minimum number of boxes that I have to order?
A: No! Simply click here to request one… or any amount you need!
Q: Is there a maximum number of boxes that I can order?
A: No! Simply click here to request as many as you can place in your community!
Q: Can our organization monitor how many cell phones are recycled through our outreach?
A: If you would like to be able to track how many phones your supporters send in using Good Deed collection boxes, please email your box order to info@gooddeedfoundation.org instead of using the online form.
Q: What is the Good Deed widget?
A: The Good Deed widget is a great way to add pizzazz to your website while helping to spread the word about cell phone recycling! Think of our widget as a portable piece of the Good Deed website. You can easily grab the Good Deed widget here and add it to your blog, MySpace, Facebook, iGoogle and any other web page to help spread the word about cell phone recycling. Widgets have been described as “the next big thing” online after video.. and even “the new black.”
Q: Great! Where I can I get a Good Deed widget for my website?
A: You can get the embed code right here!
Q: I live in Canada/Mexico – can I still recycle cell phones through the Good Deed program?
A: We can recycle cell phones from Mexico and Canada
Q: What if I have more questions, not listed here?
A: If you have any other questions, please contact us at info@gooddeedfoundation.org.