If a cell phone is more than a few months old, it is looked down upon by those who consider themselves part of the tech savvy world and consider themselves up to the minute in all things technological.
A year old cell phone is already old technology and if it is (God forbid) several years old, it qualifies as a bona fide antique! According to estimates 10% of cell phones are recycled each year.
So 
what do you do when there is a cell phone that you have, which is perfectly adequate, which you don’t need to replace, but which you want to because the new Nokia N series or whatever that is so very attractive and fitted with X number of features you cannot contemplate life without! Well in that case there is in place a system of cell recycling where you can flog off your old phone and for a price too!
There are many reasons to recycle of course: Cell phones contain toxic metals that can pollute the environment and threaten human health. When recycled responsibly, the metals can be put back into circulation, decreasing the need for new metal mining, according to recycle my cell phone.org.
Cell for cash is a site which claims to have a simple three step process for recycling your phone. You locate your phone from a list of makes and models, mail them the cell phone you find you don’t have any use for, and then receive money for them. We found however, that most of the Nokia cells we checked seemed to be in the ‘Free’ category so you get paid nothing for them.
The site’s recycling statement states “support the protection of the environment by efficiently recycling all our electronic waste, frequently called E-waste.†They assure certified destruction of equipment and materials, environmentally correct disposition of goods, metal & plastic recovery and recycling and a certificate of destruction.
Cellular Funds is another site which encourages you to recycle your organization’s cell phones and generate revenue for the company. The site claims that when you donate phones to them, they are eligible to receive a tax donation, “which in many cases, is worth more than the value of their used cell phone.â€
In the alternative, you can simply leave behind your old cell phone when you go to purchase a new one. Most major cell phone manufacturers are part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Plug in to e-cycling†program which will take care of the recycling of your cell phone for you.
