Thursday, April 23, 2015

Celebrate Earth Day Every Day With Device Recycling

A guest posting by Karen Ogden 

Just as the entire country (and remaining world, eventually) has done for the past 45 years, we all celebrated Earth Day this past Wednesday (April 22). It serves as an important reminder of just how precious our natural resources are, while also highlighting ways that we can better preserve what we have left. There are, of course, a number of different actions one can take to be "green," such as following the three Rs of reducing, recycling, and reusing. To put more of a spotlight on how you can do all three of those things at once, here's a look at how you can make your carbon footprint a bit smaller through electronic device recycling (also known as ecycling).

The importance of Ecycling was outline in a news release from the Consumer Electronics Association last fall, wherein it was revealed that 82 percent of US adults find that recycling electronics is important but only 30 percent of them actually did in the past year. While that number isn't huge, it is a 4 percent increase from the prior year, and it's one that should only continue to grow given the clearly positive view of Ecycling on the whole. Another interesting fact is that only 59 percent of people admitted to knowing where they could recycling their electronic devices. To help improve that number, some electronic companies have taken it upon themselves to provide quick and easy Ecycling opportunities.

One of those is Verizon Wireless, which also offers rewards for recycling electronic devices in the form of gift cards that can be used on their online store. 

The way their system works is quite simple, and you can send in your phone through a recycled box (that they provide) or bring it to a local Verizon store. They then either find a use for it—including through their Hopeline project that provides phones to domestic violence survivors—or recycle it, as they have a zero landfill policy.

If you're interested in their program and want to find out how much your phone is worth, you can reach out to Verizon through the following process:
  • First, dial **VALUE (**82583) on your phone. You’ll hear a message informing you that you will receive a text message.
  • Next, open the text message and click the link that's provided.
  • You then have to verify the model and condition of the phone.
  • After select “Get My Quote,” you'll see a trade-in value for the phone.

All you need to do next is save that information and bring it to a local Verizon Wireless store. (Other providers may offer similar programs.)

It's important to remember that before sending/bringing in your phone, you should make sure to delete all information that's stored on it. You wouldn't want any sensitive information to be shared!

MORE INFORMATION

Official Earth Day Site:

The Importance of Ecycling:

Verizon Wireless' Device Recycling Program:

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