E.P.A. Just Called to Say, "Recycle"-

(Atlanta, Ga. - April 4, 2008) The nation's leading cell phone makers, service providers, and retailers have teamed up with the E.P.A. as part of EPA's Plug-In to eCycling program. Partners supporting the cell phone recycling campaign include AT&T Wireless, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, and T-Mobile.

Sony Ericsson is sponsoring a cell phone take back event at the Suncom - Family Circle Cup, a Women's Tennis Association event in Charleston, S.C. Apr. 12-20, 2008. Last year's event drew a crowd of in excess of 93,000 attendees. Sony Ericsson's cell phone recycling plan for this event runs from March 31 through April 20, the day of the championship match. The Center for Women will gain the donation from recycling profits and agreed to collect cell phones at their offices and during the tennis tournament. For more information, visit http://www.familycirclecup.com/

E.P.A. started the Plug-in to eCycling campaign because many consumers still do not know where or how they can recycle their unwanted cell phones. Consequently, less than 20 percent of unwanted cell phones are recycled each year.

Recycling a cell phone offers an opportunity for everyone to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, and conserve natural resources. An estimated 100 to 130 million cell phones are no longer being used, many languishing in storage. If Americans recycled 100 million phones, we could save enough upstream energy to power in excess of 194,000 U.S. households for a year. If consumers were able to reuse those 100 million cell phones, the environmental savings would be even greater, saving enough energy to power in excess of 370,000 U.S. homes each year.

Plug-In To eCycling is a voluntary partnership between E.P.A. and electronics manufacturers, retailers, and service providers to offer consumers more opportunities to donate or recycle their used electronics. In 2007, as part of their commitment to the program, retailers and electronics manufacturers voluntarily recycled in excess of 47 million pounds of electronics, mostly computers and televisions. For example, in 2007 Staples and Office Depot both launched in-store electronics take back programs across the continental U.S. and Sony teamed up with Waste Management Incorporated to expand local TV recycling opportunities. Efforts like these have helped the Plug-In plan to recycle in excess of 142 million pounds of electronics since 2003.

Information about the cell phone recycling campaign: epa.gov/cellphone

Information about the Plug-In to eCycling plan: epa.gov/plug-in/

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