MNN - Mother Nature Network

Are you the type of person that always buys the latest and greatest wireless device?  If so, what do you do with your old devices?  If you’re like me, you may have a phone or two lying around the house but thankfully it appears that I’m not in the majority because a wireless device recycling company, eRecyclingCorps (eRC), just reached a major milestone – 10 million wireless device trade-ins.

 

ERC is a global company with trade-in services offered in 10 countries.  Customers simply visit a participating carrier and trade-in their old device onsite.  The convenience of the process is why the company has been so successful.  A customer doesn’t have to visit the post office to mail in a device or find a reputable electronics recycler, they simply stop by the their local wireless store and trade in the device with a store representative.  

 

The company, which has only been in business since 2009, collects about 20,000 devices a day. Over the company’s four-year existence, eRC has prevented approximately 4.5 million pounds of e-waste from making its way to landfills or ending up in third-world countries where it pollutes the environment while endangering locals.

 

Some of the devices are refurbished and sold to customers but products that can’t be reused are processed in a zero landfill electronics recycling facility, which allows for the recovery of rare earth minerals and other products used in the wireless device manufacturing process.  ERC earned R2/RIOS Certified Electronics Recycler designation for its environmentally conscious e-waste recycling process.

 

ERC has created an infographic to help drive home the importance of wireless device recycling, Revolutionizing the Wireless Ecosystem.  After looking at the statistics in the infographic I’ve decided to dig out my old phones and make sure they end up at a certified e-waste recycling facility.