Earth Day 2021 has arrived! At Cell Phones For Soldiers, this annual holiday is a big deal because we’re committed to doing our part to save the environment while helping our troops and veterans.
Less than 20 percent of the world’s mobile e-waste (unwanted or broken mobile devices like cell phones and tablets) gets recycled. That means not only the plastic casings for discarded devices ends up in landfills and oceans—the components, including some rare minerals that are unsafe for precious ecosystems, can also enter our environment in damaging ways. This year, please join Cell Phones For Soldiers in increasing the recycling of mobile e-waste!
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing virgin materials.” At Cell Phones For Soldiers, we take your donated devices—whether they work or not, regardless of their age and condition—and recycle them securely. Some of the devices can be refurbished, while others are broken down for parts. Income from reselling these materials supports our mission of helping our military in a variety of important ways, including providing free talk time to American troops around the world and assisting veterans in need.
The EPA’s statistics about the benefits of recycling cell phones are staggering.
- For every 1 million phones that consumers recycle, the following valuable materials are recovered:
- 35,000 pounds of copper
- 772 pounds of silver
- 75 pounds of gold
- 33 pounds of palladium
To date, Cell Phones For Soldiers has recycled more than 20 MILLION devices! In our 17 years serving our military and veterans, we have seen incredible generosity from individual donors and organizations, like the global transport and logistics company CMA-CGM, which recently sent Cell Phones For Soldiers more than 200 devices from as far away as Guam.
We make it easy to donate your old cell phones: You can either find a local drop-off site to donate your unwanted devices or you can ship them directly to us with a convenient mailing label from our website. Visit our donation page to learn more.
Join us in our mission to keep mobile e-waste from harming the environment while supporting America’s heroes!
