Calling All Cell Phones: Collection, Reuse, and Recycling Programs in the US

November 2003

Eric Most
(48 pp.,)

The follow-up to INFORM's 2002 study Waste in the Wireless World: The Challenge of Cell Phones, this report addresses four key programs now under way in the US to collect, refurbish, and recycle used cell phones. It describes the methods these programs employ to recover used phones and assesses the effectiveness of such programs as the primary approach for dealing with cell phone waste in the US. Their revenues and expenses and the ultimate destination of refurbished phones sold abroad are also examined. Includes recommendations for increasing collection rates and improving the programs through greater participation and product designs that encourage reuse and recycling.

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