Give Back to the Planet on America Recycles Day by Recycling Old Cellphones

Today is America Recycles Day, and there’s a simple and easy way
for all of us to pitch in and help the environment – by recycling old cellphones.

Chances are you have an old BlackBerry or flip phone stowed in your
desk drawer.  Or you’ve been hanging on to a car charger which no longer
powers your new device.  Now is the perfect time to scour through your
drawers and closets, and HopeLine is the perfect vehicle to help you recycle
these no-longer-used wireless devices and accessories.

Started by Verizon Wireless over a decade ago, HopeLine has properly
disposed of more than 1.72 million phones in an environmentally sound way and
kept more than 210 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of community
landfills.  HopeLine accepts no-longer-used phones and other wireless
devices in any condition and from any manufacturer or service provider.
The phones can be dropped off at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store or
put in the mail with a postage-paid label, and the company will dispose of these devices in an environmentally sound way.

As part of the refurbishing process, HopeLine scrubs all donated phones
to ensure customer information is removed.  Verizon Wireless also
recommends that consumers scrub their wireless phones before donating their
devices to the HopeLine program.  Here are some easy tips on wiping a
phone:

1. Ensure that the phone’s service and account has been terminated by contacting your
   wireless provider’s customer support department.
2. Log out of all social networking sites, email accounts, wireless networks and
   applications, erasing all evidence of password information.
3. Remove and store the device’s SIM/memory card in a safe place.
4. Erase contacts from your address book, delete call logs, erase messages, and remove your stored photos, videos and other media.  This can be done  manually; in addition, check out your phone’s manual on the device’s      website to find out how to reset the device back to its factory settings. 

Help conserve the earth's natural resources and prevent spent batteries and old cellphones from clogging up our landfills by recycling through HopeLine.