DeKalb Township Supervisor, Eric Johnson, announced today that DeKalb Township is partnering with Cell Phones for Soldiers and will serve as a location for citizens to drop off their old cell phones to be recycled. Proceeds from the recycled cell phones will provide men and women overseas with prepaid calling cards.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a not for profit organization, who hopes to collect over 1 Million cell phones this year to help keep troops connected with their families. There will be no additional costs to the Township for providing the services associated with providing the new program. Cell Phones for Soldiers pay the shipping costs for the discarded cell to be sent to a recycling center.
Johnson said the idea for the program came when he was doing some house cleaning. “I was cleaning out an old desk drawer and discovered I had four old cell phones that I needed to get rid of but I did not want to throw them in the trash.” After doing research into various cell phone recycling companies Johnson decided to partner with Cell Phones for Soldiers. “I was impressed with the work the Bergquist family was doing and wanted DeKalb Township to be a part of this great service.”
“This program benefits everyone who is involved,” said Supervisor Johnson “We will be able to keep harmful cell phone waste from getting into our landfills while providing calling cards for the brave men and women serving in our armed forces.” “All of this happens while not costing the taxpayers any additional money.”
“Over the past few years, we have been amazed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue.” says Brittany Bergquist, Cell Phones for Soldiers co-founder. “It is easy for Americans to make a small sacrifice of support by donating their unused cell phones, and providing families with a much-needed connection to their loved ones overseas.”
Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Massachusetts, with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has raised millions of dollars in donations and distributed millions of prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $10 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones and prepaid service to allow troops abroad to see their families on a regular basis.
The donated phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each phone – the money is used to purchase prepaid calling cards which are sent to troops.
Approximately half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials, including:
- Gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards
- Copper wiring from phone chargers
- Nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs
- Plastic from phone cases and accessories
Any make and model of cell phone can be recycled. However, cell phone accessories, such as chargers, cases, and hands free devices will not be accepted. Everyone is invited to recycle their old cell phones. Cell phones may be dropped of at the DeKalb Township offices located at 2323 S. Fourth Street, DeKalb Illinois Monday – Thursday 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. and Fridays 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
About ReCellular Inc.:
With offices in the United States and Hong Kong, ReCellular Inc. is the world’s leading electronics sustainability firm. We provide solutions for the collection, reuse and recycling of used personal electronics that generate financial return for our partners, quality products for our customers, funding for charity organizations, and protection of the environment. Corporate and wholesale information is available at www.ReCellular.com. Charity fundraising and consumer information, including the Cell Phone Data Eraser® tool, is available at www.wirelessrecycling.com.
Click Here To Submit A News Tip Or Story