DID YOU KNOW? There will be roughly 396 million idle or inactive mobile devices in the U.S. by the end of 2014. Of those, only about 80 million will be recycled.1 (According to the U.S. EPA, less than 20 percent of unwanted cell phones are recycled each year).
Did you know you can get cash for those unwanted devices that are filling up your junk drawers? Who doesn’t love turning unwanted items into cash. So how is this possible?
Allow me introduce you to ecoATM – the nationwide network of automated electronics recycling kiosks. ecoATM’s have more than 900 kiosks, which are located in shopping malls and retailers, recycle consumer electronics — including mobile phones, tablets and MP3 players — to keep them out of landfills or from languishing in desk drawers, and provide cash payments as an incentive for consumers to recycle. Customers can also choose to donate a portion or all of their cash payment to a number of charity partners. Plus, many consumers use the cash they get from ecoATM to support their local economies by spending it right there in the location where they recycled their devices.
How it works:
Wondering how ecoATM works? watch this short you tube video
Why use ecoATM:
- ecoATM is able to find a second life for 75 percent of devices collected. For the remaining 25 percent of devices, ecoATM partners with certified eWaste reclamation facilities to ensure those materials are responsibly reused and recycled.
- According to EPA calculator tables, the average environmental impact of a single ecoATM recycling phones over a one year period is equivalent to the energy savings of taking four U.S. houses off the grid.
- In 2013, the ecoATM network of kiosks resulted in a savings equivalent to enough electricity to power more than 2,750 U.S. homes and a hazardous waste reduction equivalent to the weight of 267 refrigerators.
- In addition to the cash value that consumers have gained by recycling their devices through ecoATM, the collection of two million devices has enabled the recovery or reuse of:
500,000 pounds of devices – three space shuttles worth of plastics, metals and potentially toxic materials
70,000 pounds of copper – enough to create a second Statue of Liberty (made of 62,000 pounds of copper) and still have extra
1,544 pounds of silver – enough to create 22,540 American Eagle silver dollar coins (made of .0685 pounds of silver)
Your Turn:
I will warn you don’t let your kids read about ecoATM first or they will be scouring your home for all those unwanted devices to turn into cash before you get a chance.
Disclaimer: I have teamed up with ecoATM in support of this campaign. We received compensation for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.