Got An Extra Cell Phone? Or Five?

SPOKANE VALLY — Many homes have old, outdated cell phones jammed into junk drawers and the backs of closets, but this week is National Cell phone Recycling Week – the perfect week to spring clean your electronics.

At Inland Retech in Spokane Valley, Donna Burge collects hundreds of cell phones.

“Wireless Alliance is the ones we collect for, the ones we’re partnered with. They send them to Bolder, Colorado and they work to send them to troops overseas and also to battered women’s shelters,” Burge said.

The phones are refurbished in Colorado and look good as new when they’re shipped off to those in need of an emergency cell phone.

Several major cell phone companies are taking part in the National Cell Phone Recycling week in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency.  

Many of the electronics we use on a daily basis contain lead and mercury, and just tossing them into a landfill can be toxic to our environment.

The EPA says that if American recycled the 100 million cell phones that are no longer used, enough energy would be saved to power more than 18,000 homes a year.

In Washington State a law requires residents to properly recycle old TVs, computers, laptops and computer monitors through a free e-cycle facility.

Any e-waste can be dropped off at Inland Retech, Good Will and other state approved e-cycle drop-off sites.

Visit Inland Retech’s website or learn more about National Cell Phone Recycling week here.