Recycle Your Cell Phone

The average lifespan for a cell phone is 18 months, and 130 million are retired annually in the U.S. Learn How to Recycle Your Used Electronics and 7 Questions to Ask Before Buying Electronics.

Photo: Josiah Lewis / istock

By The Daily Green Staff

When you are finished with your cell phone, make sure it gets disposed of properly.

The average lifespan for a cell phone is a brief 18 months, and currently, only 1% are recycled. On average, 130 million are retired annually in the U.S. alone.

Yet almost all cell phones contain enough lead to qualify as hazardous waste under federal regulations. And even lead-free phones are considered hazardous under California regulations because of the high amounts of copper, nickel, antimony and zinc that leach into landfills.

So do something good for the environment and recycle your old phone.

Here are 4 places that accept them (and will make a contribution to charity):

cellphonesforsoldiers.com