A Michigan electronics recycler and a New Hampshire nonprofit group are partnering to gather old cell phones in New England.
ReCellular Inc. and the Institution Recycling Network have created a program to collect mobile phones and other small electronic devices from New England colleges, universities and hospitals.
“Cell phones and other handheld electronics have been a real issue for our members,” said Dana Draper, IRN’s chief of operations. “Because they’re replaced so frequently, there are huge stockpiles of these items that need to be disposed of.”
Under the new program, which was announced April 6, the IRN will distribute collection boxes and help publicize the program among its member institutions, which will collect the devices from students and staff.
The Concord, N.H., group works with colleges, universities, hospitals and other institutions to improve their recycling programs. It has more than 110 members throughout New England, including Harvard University, Northeastern University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Equipment collected through the program includes cell phones, walkie-talkies, two-way radios, personal digital assistants and other handheld electronics.
ReCellular will take the boxes when they are filled and recondition the cell phones and other handheld electronics and resell them in the United States and overseas. The Michigan-based company disassembles units it cannot repair and disposes of them through certified recyclers.
“Through this partnership, we hope to tap a major source of small electronic devices,” ReCellular President Charles Newman said.
The postage to return the collection boxes is prepaid, and ReCellular will pay the institutions for devices it can refurbish and resell, Newman said. The company is affiliated with several organizations outside the United States to ensure that devices sold overseas are properly recycled if they are unusable, he said.
Joe Truini writes for Waste News, a sister publication to RCR Wireless News.
