Did you know you could earn money for recycling your old cell phone?
By ersmommy1
@ersmommy1 (12588)
United States
August 5, 2008 8:36am CST
I just saw this I think it's pretty neat. Cell for Cash offers money for an your cellphone. Many people get a new cellphone each year. Some leave the old one sitting around their house, and 7 percent just throw it away. Cellphones are full of chemicals that leach into groundwater from landfills. In California, they're considered hazardous waste. Cell for Cash lists hundreds of makes and models of phones. When you find yours, you can request a postage-paid box. Send it back with your phone and charger, and once the company verifies the contents, you'll receive a check. Cell for Cash refurbishes the phones and sells them in developing countries. Not all phones are worth cash, though; many older models are listed on the site as "Free Recycling," which means they have no resale value.
Do you think you would use this program?
2 people like this
15 responses
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
6 Aug 08
I have seen this before and it was also asking to donate(recycle) your unused cell phones so that they may be fixed so they can send them to the troops so that they can call their families and loved ones to let them know how they are. I feel that that is a great idea. Being so far away is terrible for these troops so I think it is a good thing that they will be able to call and nothing is better then hearing a voice form so far away to let you know they are okay and still alive.
@sherlock27 (913)
• United States
6 Aug 08
We should all get involved in this rather than looking to make money. Let these men know we care.
@marlena18042 (636)
• United States
5 Aug 08
Yes,I just recently heard of this myself.Do you know how much they give for the callphone.I have a few cellphones laying around my house.They are just piling up in my house.I was going to throw them away several times but then thought maybe they can be of use to me in the future.I guess if they pay a decent amount.
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
5 Aug 08
No, sorry, the article I read didn't give an amount of $$.
@saivenkaat802003 (4823)
• India
7 Aug 08
It is a good information, but as you said these e-wastes are a real threat to the environment as a whole, the companies are on a rampage, in giving out the products that suit the latest trend..but i fear that none of them bother about how to dispose after the life time.
Secondly, even in developing countries, you could get the latest Gadgets on the market and people could afford to buy the same..
Even if you could see, a demand for them in the developing nations, but.. my doubt is how to find the end point of the e-waste..without affecting the environment.
@DaddyOfTheRose (2934)
• United States
7 Aug 08
The recycling of cell phones is normally something that the cell phone provider takes care of for me. I leave them my old phone when I get a new one. :) I think there are similar issues where old computer equipment is concerned.
@eihdra (3115)
• Philippines
7 Aug 08
hi ersmommy..
In the Philippines, we cant return our old cellphones and the company definitely wont pay us back. So what we do is, trade them for a new one or a second hand cellphone. Like what i did with 4 of our old ones, I traded it with a Nokia N95 classic and only added a little cash. It's the trend here, i guess for those who cannot afford to buy the brand new ones because it costs a lot. Why not trade and give a little cash and in a little while i got my new cool phone..
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
5 Aug 08
I do not if it is available in Canada. Here in Manitoba, they want you to be altruistic and not want any money back for doing a good deed. I am keeping my own phone unless when my contract is up in two years time, I can afford to get an Iphone, then I will put it in the recyclable bin. I do wish I could get money back for it, but I heard in those countries, it is easier for them to get a phone. I wish there was a site so that people here in Canada who cannot get a cellphone, like people who cannot afford a home phone, can get a cell phone along with vouchers for phone cards.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
6 Aug 08
I think I would eventually use the program. We use prepaid cell phones but we are thinking about upgrading them for a different kind later on. I am thinking about recycling mine also.
@austere (2812)
• Philippines
6 Aug 08
really? That’s cool. Especially to those who have more than two phones which they no longer use. I agree that its really hazardous to the environment especially when we just throw them away, without proper disposal, it could ruin the environment, so if you guys have unused phones and you have no place for them at home, you can just send it to those who can recycle them and you get to earn from it..:)
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
5 Aug 08
My kids always claim my old cell phones. My son has one that he likes to play the games on. They are not too exiting, but they sometimes entertain him. I think it is a cool idea, but as long as I have kids that like to play with old phones, I don't think I will be using it.
@izathewzia (5134)
• Philippines
6 Aug 08
This is a good idea. Considering that there are a lot of old cells being thrown away. So instead of doing so, why not turn it into cash? So you will save the environment and gets something back from your old unit.
@Elixiress (3878)
•
6 Aug 08
Yes I did know you could do that, I know a good company called Envirofone. This post has just reminded me that I need to check to see if they are still offering money for my old phone (I gave it to my sister once I had finished with it). I have never personally used this website, but I know it is a good website, as my boyfriend has earned in excess of £100 off selling old phones (he had a lot of them). This website offers cash and argos vouchers.
@MaggieJiang20 (134)
• China
6 Aug 08
Well,I don't think it is suitable for me.I also change my cellphones quite ofen.I would give it to my youger sisters or brothers.Sometimes I just sell it.It is convenient in my city to abandon a cellphone.Yeah,it may be a problem in the long wrong for it contains many harmful chemicals and is hard to digest when become rubbish.I just don't know what in exact we could do.Afer all,thanks for your information.
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
5 Aug 08
Ok, these guys refurbish it and then sell it in developing countries. However, that does not solve the problem of "hazardous waste." It just shifts the problem to some other country. One day, the mobile phones have to be thrown away. And in "developed" countries, they just throw old mobiles like old clothes and use new models. The entire set up sounds senseless to me. Maybe because I don't own a mobile? And consider chatting on it a waste of time?
Cheers and happy mylotting
