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EcoPhones continually strives to pay the highest overall payouts of any recycling fundraiser - up to $300 per phone / $5 per cartridge! Consequently, EcoPhones is the only program that pays for EVERY item regardless of whether or not the items(s) work and regardless of whether or not the item(s) are on our price list. That is, you earn cash for every item you collect broken items and items not on our list. Working and non-working items not included on our price list will be credited at competitive prices.
Lastly, EcoPhones and its employees are committed not only to the success of your recycling fundraiser but to the environment as well. All of us at EcoPhones are proud of the fact that through our efforts (and those of the more than 17,000 organizations like yours that participate in our program) more than 50 tons of electronic waste has been safely recycled.
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The use of collection bins to assist your fundraising efforts can be very effective if done properly, professionally and inexpensively. Here are a few pointers to help you get started:
STEP #1:
We recommend purchasing $5 to $10 plastic 10-gallon non-clear bins (as shown here) from your neighborhood Wal-Mart, Target or similar retail store.
STEP #2:
Carefully cut a rectangular slot wide enough for a phone to be inserted but small enough to discourage people from reaching in and trying to remove phones. (as shown in photo above). NOTE: The rectangular shaped slot has been proven to reduce the amount of trash people attempt to place in the bin. That is, circle shaped holes remind people of garbage cans.
STEP #3:
Insert one of our FREE color mini-flyers into a protective clear plastic sleeve or laminate.
STEP #4:
Tape or glue (use glue on clear plastic sleeve only) the mini flyer to the top of the bin. Be careful not to cover the slot opening.
STEP #5: Optional
To reduce the chance of theft two small holes can be drilled through the plastic lid and into the bin base. Small zip ties or even a small travel padlock will ensure the bin remains closed at all times while on display.
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Every phase of a cell phone or laptop's life cycle, from raw material extraction all the way to its end-of-life management, has potential impacts on the environment. For example, during the extraction phase, raw materials must be extracted from the earth, refined, transported and manufactured into products such as cell phones, laptops, and other consumer electronics. Each of these phases uses tremendous amounts of energy and creates pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. When the product reaches the end of its useful life, the best choice is to properly and safely recycle it putting it (or at least the majority of its components) back into use. That's where EcoPhones comes in.
More than 80% of all electronics that EcoPhones receives are reusable and are therefore tested, reconditioned and sold in the United States. The revenues generated from the resale of used consumer electronics help pay for our warehouse rent, our repair technicians and our ability to pay schools and churches for an ever increasing number and variety of used and eventually hazardous consumer electronics.
The remaining 20% is de-manufactured abroad in Antwerp, Belgium at one of the world's leading precious metals refineries. Unlike many Asian nations that lack the necessary environmental infrastructure and laws, Belgium and the European Union possess the world's most advanced environmental technologies and are governed by the European Union's 2003 directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The plant is certified under ISO 9001 and 14001 and is the most modern and cleanest plant of its kind in the world. Consumer electronics contain more than 17 precious and other non-ferrous metals - all of which are recoverable and more importantly reusable including silver, gold, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, indium, selenium, tellurium, antimony, tin, bismuth, arsenic and base metals such as lead, copper, nickel. (NOTE: While gold and silver have considerable value the precious metal content used in consumer electronics manufacturing yields slightly more revenue than the associated financial costs borne by EcoPhones to properly and safely recycle the other less valuable, non-valuable or even costly materials. In addition, EcoPhones must also pay for the costs associated with off-gas and waste water treatment.) In the end over 95% of the electronic waste is turned into useful products, and the final slag from the plant is used for construction purposes (e.g. for European dyke construction). Any remaining plastics or organic residue are utilized as a reducing agent and partly as a fuel substitute. All processes are equipped with highly efficient off-gas and waste water cleaning systems. As to the small remaining, non-usable portion of the waste, toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd) or mercury (Hg) are also systematically extracted and subsequently disposed of in a safe and controlled way.
View our Certificates of Destruction
Watch ‘The Secret Life Of Cell Phones’ video.
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