Remember that Re-Use is a component of Recycling
If you are upgrading your cell phone and your friend or family member wants your old iPhone 3 or your Samsung Galaxy v.1 (or even that old Moto Razr!) that totally counts as recycling. Pat yourself on the back and tell everyone to call you “Green.” The point here is that you don’t have to send your device away to a program. You can just give it to someone you know. Cells for Cells is the back-up plan if nobody wants to use your old device.
Have a contest among friends or co-workers
Cells for Cells always encourages companies to have an employee collection drive once or twice per year. Make it fun. Challenge other managers or office friends to bring in the most old cell phones from home. The winner should have his / her lunch bought by everyone else! Ferrellgas Propane had an East Coast VP versus West Coast VP and the “losing” VP (the one that collected the least devices) had to wear a pink flamingo hat and have his picture taken for all of the world to see. If your company is going to run a Cells for Cells drive, have a ton of fun doing it.
Ask your next-door neighbor
Your neighbor probably has as many old cell phones as you do. The cell phone industry is still suggesting that EVERYBODY in the US has 3 or 4 old devices laying around. It gives you a chance to get to know your neighbors a little better and, in turn, your neighbors will recognize you as a resource for recycling. And you’ll introduce the Cells for Cells story to someone new. Thank you for that!
Go straight to your junk drawer at home
Oh, the junk drawer! 9 out of 10 American homes have a junk drawer. (I made that statistic up to help this blog post.) I bet you’ll find at least 2 old cell phones, 7 old chargers, 3 old batteries, Tic Tacs, dominoes, and an Andes mint from the last time you went to The Olive Garden.
What is in your filing / storage cabinet at work
We have a partner here in Kansas City that opened up their double-door storage cabinet with neat rows of boxes: 2003, 2004, 2005, etc… In each box was that year’s old and broken cell phones. The wireless manager wanted to recycle all of it; but hadn’t yet found a place were he wanted to recycle. He liked the Cells for Cells story and we made his day by clearing up a ton of space for him.
Do you ave any peers that are “Wireless Managers”
I love Wireless Managers (WM’s). They are, by far, the best allies for Cells for Cells. These are the folks that truly keep a company’s workforce in synch. Most of the WM’s that I know are super awesome at troubleshooting and creative problem solving. I admire their abilities. If you happen to know a WM, especially if they bailed you out of a Blackberry or Smartphone problem in the past, you should take them out to lunch! You may even do your WM a favor by telling them about Cells for Cells.
Talk to the President of your company
Every company wants to do better at being green; but lack the time to start implementing those green ideas. You can be a hero in your company by initiating a conversation about recycling with the President of your company. Commit to spearheading any new green programs from providing paper recycling on every floor to running the Cells for Cells drives. You know who you are. You are the one that wants to make those small changes that, over time, make big differences. And that is what you are about: Making a difference!
Keep promises to yourself about recycling more
Okay, it is still early enough in 2012 that all of your New Year’s Promises are fresh in your mind. If you are like most, odds are that you made some promises to yourself about doing more for the environment. Some of your promises may have been doing better at recycling electronics or being mindful of where my trash ends up. I hope that Cells for Cells aligns with some of your promises to make the world a little greener this year.
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Additional Reading
8 Tips for Making Mobile Phone Recycling Easier
Recycling Used Cell Phones: Yes, Even if Your Dog Chewed on It
