Recycle your Cell Phone. It's an Easy Call

Recycle your cell phone. It's an easy call. Okay, we can't take credit for that fantastic little pun. It's actually the work of the EPA who have launched a new initiative to get more Americans to recycle their cell phones (and PDA's and cell phone batteries and other accessories). Here's the deal....while we all realize that our cell phone is the bloodline to our entire lives and feel deeply incapacitated if we forget it at home for even an hour (how did we ever survive before texting?!), most of us don't realize that there's a dangerously toxic side to your best pal, the cell, as well.

As the EPA explains: "Cell phones and accessories are made from valuable resources such as precious metals, copper, and plastics - all of which require energy to extract and manufacture. Recycling cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions, keeps valuable material out of landfills and incinerators, and conserves natural resources. Recycling just a million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year." As of now over 80% of cell phones are NOT recycled properly, instead being trashed and ending up in landfills where they leach toxins into the air and water. However, If Americans recycled 100 million phones, we could save enough upstream energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households for a year.

The good news? The EPA, along with 11 other companies (AT&T, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, and T-Mobile), has started this nifty little program to make it super easy to recycle your cell phone. Here's how:

DROP IT OFF: Drop it off at any AT&T, Best Buy, Office Depot, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, T-Mobile or LG Electronics store. For more info about Drop-off Spots, click here.

You can also MAIL IT IN to various companies such as Nokia and Samsung who will recycle it for you. For more info on where to mail it, click here.

Yes, we're saying that recycling these phones is as easy as a 5 minute errand at Staples. So if you've decided 2008 is your year to trade up to the iPhone, don't leave your old BFF cold, alone and scarred as it lies rotting in a landfill. Your old phone did a lot for you, it was there for you when others weren't. It always listened to you... Now it's your turn to give back.

Can I recycle this?

As products of coming of age in the '80's we learned the mantra in school: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

While we might have chanted it with our peers in 3rd grade and wore t-shirts promoting the slogan, I'm afraid we have dropped the ball on the cause of the three R's (not to mention D.A.R.E) The first two have been blatantly ignored for want of new iPods, new blackberries, new clothes, new cars, new Nintendo and new/big diamonds, can we save ourselves with the last one? Can we recycle?

YES! Let us make it easy for you...




Step 1...
Procure a complimentary recycling collection can/bin/container from you City's Bureau of Sanitation (in LA call Sanitation Customer Service Call Center (800) 773-2489.)

Step 2...
Set up a separate bin in your house for recycling (label it Recycling with large letters if you live with roommates who are always slow to catch on.) This is the most important step....We guarantee that once you have a bin in your house, you'll be amazed how much you can recycle each week.

Step 3...
Begin recycling with joy. You will often run across this question... "Can I recycle this?"

A few quick answers:
...you can recycle pizza boxes if they are clean and not greasy (highly unlikely)
...you can recycle all jars, take out containers and cartons-just rinse them out first!
...you can recycle your mail, even window envelopes...you can recycle almost all paper products, like the entire contents of your old filing cabinet--files and all!
...you can recycle styrofoam (Jess didn't know that one...)
...you can recycle dry cleaning bags and plastic and WIRE hangers!!

Basically, if it's cleaned and rinsed and not broken you can recycle it!

As for the longer answer...This is the guidelines for what can be put in your curbside recycling bin in Los Angeles County (if you don't live here go to your county's website and search what can i recycle or the bureau of sanitation.)

• Paper

- All Clean Dry Paper
computer, ledger, wrapping, arts and craft paper, unwanted mail,
flyers, telephone books, note cards, newspaper, blueprints,
magazines, file folders, paper bags, Post-it notes, catalogs; and all
envelopes including those with windows
- All Cardboard Boxes and Chipboard
cereal, tissue, dry food, frozen food, shoe, and detergent boxes; paper and toilet rolls; and corrugated boxes broken down and flattened


• Metals

- All Aluminum, Tin, Metal, and Bi-Metal Cans
rinsed if possible, soda, juice, soup, vegetables, and pet food cans;
pie tins; clean aluminum foils; empty paint and aerosol cans with
plastic caps removed, and wire hangers


• Glass

- All Glass Bottles and Jars
rinsed if possible, soda, wine, beer, spaghetti sauce, pickle jars,
broken bottles, and etc.


• Plastics

- All Clean Plastics 1 Through 7 (you'll see the number on the bottom usually)
- Empty Plastic Containers
rinsed if possible, soda, juice, detergent, bleach, shampoo, lotion, mouthwash, dishwashing liquid bottles, milk jugs, tubs for margarine and yogurt, plastic planters, food and blister packaging, rigid clamshell packaging, etc.
- All Plastic Bags and All Film Bags
grocery bags and dry cleaner bags, and all clean film plastic
- All Clean Polystyrene (Styrofoam®)
Styrofoam® cups, containers, and packaging such as Styrofoam® egg shell cartons, Styrofoam® block packaging, and Styrofoam® clamshell packaging
- Miscellaneous Plastics
Plastic coat hangers, non-electric plastic toys, plastic swimming
pools, & plastic laundry baskets

DO NOT RECYCLE THESE ITEMS

If these items are placed in the blue container, there's a likelihood of contaminating the other clean materials. Please ensure that the items placed in the blue container are clean and free from contaminants.

• Contaminated Paper
  all soiled papers or bags with oils and food waste
• Some Broken Glass (Yes, you can recycle those broken beer bottles from Saturday night)
  window glass, mirror glass, auto glass, light bulbs, fluorescent lights and ceramics
• Other Plastic
  plastic hygienic items, any electric or battery operated toys
• Miscellaneous Materials
  coated milk cartons, electrical cords, cloth/fabric, appliances, mini blinds, kitchen utensils, lawn furniture, garden hoses, rubber tires, construction materials, including asphalt or concrete, wood and wood products
• Hazardous Materials
  syringes, all partially filled aerosol cans and containers for cleaning fluids, automotive fluids, all batteries (including car batteries, household batteries, rechargeable batteries), pesticides, oil based paint, garden chemicals, and pool cleaners

Electronics like cell phones, computers and car batteries can NOT be recycled in the street bins. call your cities hazardous waste hotline or go to www.earth911.com and they will direct you to a same place in your area for such materials (in LA in number is 1-800-98-TOXIC (1-800-988-6942).)

So if '80's-style leggings and skinny jeans are back in style, surely we can bring back our favorite '80's mantra in full effect...Reduce, Reuse, Recycle....or, at least, RECYCLE...