Following Earth Hour on March 28, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) is promoting this week’s “Plug-In To eCycling National Cell Phone Recycling Week” in hopes to collect as many cell phones for reuse and recycle as possible. With many businesses distributing phones to their employees and rapid technological advancements, the number of cell phones is increasing at a phenomenal rate.
Company leaders at Sprint no doubt are aware of this turnover. They are so invested in phone recycling efforts, in fact, that they hope to collect 9 phones for every 10 they sell over the next few years. Though Sprint sets a lofty goal, it is refreshing to see such a large company invested in green's bottom line.
Sprint’s recycling program, established in 2001, has eliminated thousands of tons of wireless equipment from becoming waste. More than 90 percent of the phones collected are manufactured into refurbished phones, and any equipment not reused is recycled. These efforts help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prevent air and water pollution, and conserve resources.
The initiative also is personally motivating, because I’ve been more than a bit lazy with my phone recycling. As a Sprint customer, I receive postage-paid envelopes with every phone purchase, but I am always a bit hesitant to send in my old phones. However, after reading estimates that energy saved from 100 million no-longer-used cell phones could power more than 18,500 homes in America for a year, I’m sold. That, to me, is all the motivation I need.
The efforts of Sprint leaders send a good message to businesses everywhere. Their goal of 9 recycled for every 10 purchased shows that their investment in the environment almost equals their investment in profit. It’s a good lesson, and one that I hope will motivate professionals not only to think twice before tossing their flip phones into the trash, but also to rethink their companies’ commitments to the bottom line.
--Ingrid Ostby, editorial assistant, APICS magazine.
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