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Cell Phones

Cell Phones
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Did You Know?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if Americans recycled the approximately 130 million cell phones that are disposed of annually, enough energy would be saved to power more than 24,000 homes in a year. Currently, only about 10 percent of cell phones are recycled.

Cell phones contain hazardous materials and should not be thrown in the garbage. Reusing or recycling cell phones helps the environment by saving energy and conserving resources.

Follow these steps before reusing or recycling your phone: 

  • Remove personal data (such as phone numbers and emails) 
  • Deactivate service 
  • Fully discharge the battery 
  • Turn the power off 

Recycling & Disposal Information

Cell phones are made of precious metals, copper and plastics. Recycling or reusing these devices conserves materials, prevents air and water pollution, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that occur during manufacturing and processing. For every one million cell phones recycled, 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, 33 pounds of palladium, and 35,274 pounds of copper can be recovered.

  • See the electronics page for recycling options for electronics and cell phones
  • Some counties accept cell phones for recycling. Contact your county for more information. (See links in right sidebar.)
  • The Call2Recycle™ program, operated by the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, collects used cell phones and rechargeable batteries. Visit the Call2Recycle™ website to find a drop-off location near you.
  • Many charitable organizations collect used cell phones for fundraising. To find a cell phone donation program, search the Internet for "cell phone donation".
  • Check with your cell phone manufacturer or wireless service provider for take-back programs.

This information is provided as a public service and is not intended to be an endorsement of any business, organization or service. The disposal methods for cell phones sold abroad and eventually discarded were not investigated for this web page.

Disposal & Dropoff Sites

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Eco Recycling Solutions

Resident Materials Notes

Accepts:  All Apple Products, laptops, desktop computers, servers, networking equipment, smartphones, cell phones and accessories, video game consoles, individual computer parts, keyboards, mice, speakers, cables, digital cameras, ink and toner cartridges, rechargeable batteries, printers, scanners, VCR/DVD player, receiver/amplifier. Does not accept TVs of any size.

Fee: Two CRT and LCD monitors free per day; each additional is $10.

Data destruction: Yes (no additional fee)

Collection Methods: Drop-off (also offer pick-up for large quantities)

View more information
(including other items accepted)
2360 County RD J, #100
White Bear Lake
p: 866-843-2318
This information is provided as a public service and is not intended to be an endorsement of any business, organization or service. For additional listings, check your local phone directory.

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