The Voice - Student Newspaper

Save the world, recycle technology

Technology has grown so fast in today's society. Your 4-month-old phone may already be obsolete. People everywhere are seen with cell phones, but what happens to them when they break or are replaced?

Chances are you leave them lying around your room, put them in your desk or simply throw them away. Why not recycle that phone?

New organizations have emerged in recent years providing this new service. One such organization is GRC Wireless Recycling, which allows you to either donate or recycle your used phone, paying you anywhere from $.50-$30 per phone. They also support fundraising for nonprofit organizations, schools or community groups. Register online and you can earn money for any of your choice.

Why is recycling phones an important issue? "It is estimated that over 500 million tons of cell phones have been retired worldwide. Numerous toxic elements contained in wireless devices, including lead and arsenic, will be disposed of in landfills unless viable recycling solutions are implemented," according to GNRs' website.

To put it simply, with new devices we need new ways of disposing of old devices, a way in which won't harm the environment.

For a local solution you look to Eco-Cell. They provide similar services as GNR but with a few drop boxes here in the state so there is no need to mail it. In these difficult economic times it's easy to forget about the rest of the world we live in.

Such services show that even something as common as a cell phone has a way of damaging the ecosystem.

GNR stated, "We provide innovative recycling programs designed to incentivize organizations, business, and consumers to responsibly recycle cell phones. GRC transforms environmental challenge into great opportunity."

For more information on cell phone recycling visit websites such as grcrecycling.com and eco-cell.com.

Please send comments to svaquera@gccvoice.com