ST. JOHN'S – The CWTA’s Recycle My Cell program announced today that registration for the "What's in Your Drawers Community Challenge" is officially open for community groups and non-profits throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Building on the success of the annual Recycle My Cell Student Challenge and the commitment shown by the students of Newfoundland and Labrador, Recycle My Cell is bringing this new Community Challenge exclusively to the province and is calling on all community groups to clean out their junk drawers and recycle as many unused cell phones as they can between April 16 and May 16, said the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association release. The group or non-profit that collects the most cell phones will receive a prize of $500.
All non-profit or community organizations located within Newfoundland and Labrador are eligible to participate. Recycle My Cell will ensure an account is established with the recycling processor for all registered participants so that the number of devices collected can be tracked. Pre-paid mailing labels to ship the collected phones will be provided by Recycle My Cell, so there is no cost to any participating organization.
The CWTA is also calling on Canadians from coast to coast to recycle their old cell phones and accessories in support of Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22. Almost 582,000 devices were recovered through the Recycle My Cell program in 2013.
Results from the 2013 National Cell Phone Recycling Study released today show that while Canadians replace their wireless device approximately every 30 months, only 10% of survey respondents recycled their old device when they purchased a new one, with 42% putting the old device in storage.
Canadians can participate in Earth Day by visiting the bilingual web site www.RecycleMyCell.ca and www.Recyclemoncell.ca and enter their postal code to locate the 10 drop-off locations closest to them where their old wireless devices will be accepted, regardless of brand or condition. If a consumer cannot get to one of the drop-off locations in their neighborhood, the site offers printable postage-paid labels that can be used to mail the device back to Recycle My Cell at absolutely no cost to the consumer.
Other notable findings from the 2013 National Cell Phone Recycling Study include:
• Nearly half of survey respondents (49% nationally) report knowing about cell phone recycling programs.
• Satisfaction of those who utilize the Recycle My Cell continues to be high, with 96% of respondents citing a positive experience.
“Canadians are world leaders in the way they embrace new technology, particularly when it comes to wireless devices,” said Bernard Lord, President & CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). “It is also our responsibility to be world leaders in protecting our environment for generations to come. There is simply no reason that an old cell phone should ever end up in a landfill.”
