What to do With Your Old Cell Phones
On average, most people replace their phones every 18 months to 2 years. Considering how many cell phone users there are in the world, that's quite a few phones! Whether they are broken or not, the old phones wind up in a box somewhere in the basement, completely forgotten and never to be used again. Not only is this a waste of space, but in many cases old phones and old batteries can be hazardous to the environment.
Fortunately, there are several programs available to help you get rid of your old phones. The types of programs typically involve donating your phones for soldiers, recycling your phone to protect the environment, or selling old phones for cash (Or, if your phone still functions well, you can hang on to it as a backup).
1. Donate your phone.
Several programs exist to use your donated phone for a worthy cause. Some programs will sell the copper or gold in each phone and use the proceeds to aid their cause. Others will give away the phones to be used for emergency calls (every phone is required to be able to call 911, whether it is active or not). One unique program is Cell Phones for Soldiers, which sends donated phones to soldiers along with prepaid cards so the soldiers can call home.
2. Sell your phone.
It almost seems too good to be true, but there are websites that offer you cash for your used cell phone. The amount you receive all depends on what kind of phone you have, but if your phone is in good working condition most places will be willing to buy your phone from you for a decent price.
3. Recycle your phone.
If your phone is completely done for and there's nothing left to do other than toss it, the best idea is to ship it off to a certified cell phone recycling center. One popular local place to go is Best Buy; however, there are plenty of sites online that offer to take your old phone and dispose of it properly to help save the environment.
4. Keep your phone as a backup.
If your phone is still in good working condition, a great idea is to keep it as a backup. Simply put, you never know when something may happen to your current phone. And if your current phone is out of commission, there is no worse feeling than realizing how dependent you were on that phone. Even though your old phone isn't as cool or hip anymore, it's still fully functional and doesn't cost any extra precious money.
Overall, the best thing to do is find your old phones and determine what condition they are in. You could be sitting on a gold mine and not even know it! Or, at the very least, you know there's a way to free up some much-needed space in your basement.
Phones for Cash:
Cell for Cash
Second Rotation
RIP Mobile
Phones for Donation:
Apple Donations - I'm not really sure where the phones go. I bet Apple puts them to good use.
March of Dimes - Uses the money made from selling your phone to March of Dimes.
NCADV - Donate your phone to victims of domestic violence, for emergency use.
Phones for Recycling:
EPA - This is a great resource list of different programs available.
Best Buy - Drop off your phone locally.
Recycle my Cell Phone
There are many more programs available on the internet if none of these work out for you, but this is a great list to start with.
