Cell Phone Recycling

Recycle Your Cell Phone. It's an Easy Call.

Plug-In To eCycling has teamed up with leading cell phone manufacturers, service providers, and retailers to encourage Americans to recycle their cell phones and accessories.
Where To Recycle Your Cell Phone

There are many places and ways to recycle your cell phone. Recycling your phone recovers valuable materials and helps save energy!

Logo for Recycle Your Cell Phone. It's an Easy Call.
Did You Know?

Recycling all of the 100 million cell phones ready for end of life management in the US would save enough energy to power more than 194,000 US households with electricity for one year.


EPA has targeted cell phone recycling because fewer than 20 percent of cell phones are recycled each year and most people do not know where to recycle them. Recycling cell phones results in significant environmental savings and can benefit those in need.

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.

Plug-In To eCycling partners involved in this year-long campaign include AT&T, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, and T-Mobile. Partners have pledged to:
graphic depicting the life cycle of cell phone



* Increase capacity and outreach about existing recycling programs;
* Educate the public about the benefits of cell phone recycling, including how and where the phones can be recycled; and
* Work with communities to hold special cell phone collection drives and events.


EPA has developed a series of eCycling podcasts, including one specifically about cell phone recycling. Electronics recycling resources, including posters, public service announcements, and an electronics environmental benefits calculator, can also be found in the eCycling partner resources center.
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