Bluetooth? iPhone? Don't just ditch the old phone

Is it time for a new cell phone? Perhaps the new laws in California and Washington that require hands-free cell phone use while driving mean you're upgrading to a Bluetooth headset. Or perhaps you just want a spiffy new iPhone when it goes on sale.

Whatever the need for another mobile, make sure to take proper care of your old handset before you start chattering away on your new one.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), less than 20% of all cell phones are recycled each year, even though they're full of precious metals, copper, and plastics.

Recycling also saves energy. If America's 100 million outdated cell phones were recycled instead of junked, that would save enough energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households with electricity for one year. Even recycling 1 million cell phones can reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.

So how do you recycle a phone? It's not that hard:

• Start with your phone's retailer or manufacturer. The EPA has links to all the biggies, from Best Buy to Office Depot to Verizon. Sometimes you can drop off the old phone at the store, or other companies will provide you with an envelope to mail the phone in.


• Give it to any manufacturer. Apple, Motorola, and Nokia are among the companies that will accept any phone for recycling, not just the ones they make themselves. And they'll recycle phones for free.


• Donate the phone to charity. If your old phone isn't broken, send it to an organization like Call to Protect, which uses phones to help survivors of domestic violence. Another group is Secure the Call, which reprograms used cell phones into 911 emergency-use phones.


• Look for a drop-off site near you. Call 2 Recycle has a database of places (mostly retail stores) that will take phones for recycling. Just enter your ZIP code, and see if a local Target, Radio Shack, Ace Hardware, or Home Depot will accept cell phones. Also try searching Earth 911 for both retail and municipal recycling locations.

Enjoy your new mobile (safely, if you're on the road). And keep the old one out of the landfill. If even that means this artist has less to photograph, it'll be worthwhile.