Lolita Street: Recycle Your Old Cell Phones

It seems that as quickly as we can come up with ways to recycle all the different items that come with modern life - like Styrofoam, or seven different kinds of plastic - inventors come up with another object that we wind up throwing away.

Into that category, you can put the cellular phone. Modern cell phones are so sleek and small, it's not surprising many people buy the latest models. In fact, about 24 million phones are now obsolete.

So, what to do with that old cell phone, now languishing in the bureau drawer?

"Whatever you do, don't toss it in the trash, even if it doesn't work any more," says Maria Baird of the San Francisco Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP). "At the very least, it will take up scarce landfill space. At worst, it could harm the environment, since the batteries in your old cell phone can leach toxic materials into the groundwater."

Just a few weeks from now, you will be able to give your old cell phone a new life, and feel good about it. Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless provider, has teamed up with the SWMP to help San Francisco recycle cell phones, batteries and chargers.

Set to launch on Oct. 2, "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" will help protect victims of domestic violence by providing them with cell phones, while keeping hazardous materials out of the landfill.

To support this effort, environmentalists are urging the recycling of old cell phones. In addition to reducing hazards in landfills, reusing the metals inside will save energy and reduce the negative impact on the environment.

A few industry valves have opened to alleviate the strain. The metal and plastic from cell phones can be donated to recycling firms, like Verizon Wireless' HopeLine refurbishing and recycling program.

Starting Oct. 2, used cell phones will be collected and donated to help support domestic violence agencies. HopeLine will provide victims with cellular phones that will help them transition to a new life.

"One in four families in the United States is affected by domestic violence," said Rosario Navarette, interim executive director at the Department on the Status of Women. "With this new program, our ongoing efforts in the arena of reuse and recycling can now benefit San Franciscans in a very different and positive way."

Similar programs in other states have had success. More than 10,000 phones were donated in Texas to help victims of family violence. Here in California, an Orange County resident collected 130 phones on her own to help people affected by domestic abuse.

Even phones that no longer work will be recycled. Verizon Wireless will take the unusable phones and send them to HopeLine, a Michigan company that recycles and refurbishes cell phones.

Drop-off locations for old cellular phones will be at Verizon Wireless stores citywide, beginning Oct. 2. Verizon stores are located at 600 Harrison St,, 199 Pine St., and 1 Daniel Burnham Ct.

For more information on cellular phone recycling, call the SF Solid Waste Management Program at (415) 554-3400 or Verizon Wireless at (925) 904-3712.

Lolita Sweet is a public outreach associate at the SF Solid Waste Management Program.