With the actual sale launch (meaning the date it hits the shelves) of the iPhone® 6 this week, I thought it was important to discuss recycling your phones and maximizing the green. Not just the environment green to save our landfills from including precious metals but also your wallet! My buddies and Green Living Guy sponsor at ecoATM® has got over 1,100 nationwide automated electronics recycling kiosks in malls across the USA.
They recently announced they collected more than three million phones, tablets and MP3 players since 2010. So let’s talk first about the precious metals here! In addition to the cash consumers earned by recycling their devices through ecoATM, the collection of three million devices has enabled the recovery or reuse of:
· 879,000 pounds of devices – nearly enough plastics, metals and potentially toxic materials to equal the weight of two Boeing 747-400 series airplanes
· 105,000 pounds of copper – equal to the amount of copper in 72 Liberty Bells
· 2,316 pounds of silver – equal to the weight of four baby grand pianos
· 225 pounds of gold – enough to create 16 FIFA World Cup trophies (and still have extra!)
At a time when the iPhone 6 mania is really kicking in. Too many people then just hand over the phone but don’t attend to get cash for it. That’s why I appreciate ecoATM not just for giving the cash but ALSO for collecting the metals to put back into use versus in landfills.
While Americans’ knowledge of, and interest in, responsible electronics recycling is increasing, there will still be nearly 400 million idle phones in the U.S. at the end of 2014.[1] According to the EPA, the rate at which phones are recycled is less than 20 percent[2]. ecoATM is committed to increasing the percentage of cell phones, tablets and MP3 players that are recycled by providing Americans with an easy, safe and convenient solution to address the e-waste problem.
“The average person upgrades their mobile phone every 18 months, which means that tens of millions of excess devices are retired each year,” said Maria Stipp, president of ecoATM. “Before solutions like ecoATM, many of those devices would be tossed in a junk drawer, or worse, end up in our nation’s landfills. Our kiosks accept a range of phones, tablets and MP3 players, no matter the condition or age. This acceptance is a unique and differentiating attribute in the space. Reaching this milestone confirms that Americans are beginning to realize the environmental impact of their technology consumption and the need for electronics recycling, but we still have a long way to go.”
Here is a cool video link for the ecoATM commercial too.
Source: ecoATM or to find a kiosk, visit www.ecoatm.com.
[1] Source: Bamboo Mobile, a division of Compass Intelligence
[2] Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
