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Recycling Old Cell Phones (redux)?

Posted by Cliff on from the please-keep-them-out-of-landfills dept.

Tweakmeister asks: "With the product cycle for cell phones being what seems like months, is there any use for old phones? How about pagers? A search reveals some initiatives to recycle them or send them to foreign countries. Have you found any alternative uses for old cell phones?" We last touched on this subject in this previous article, from two years ago. Have any new ideas shown up on the horizon, since then?

3 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. Donate them locally by balamw · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are various programs to collect used cell phones for various causes, one that makes a lot of sense is the Call to Protect which will benefit the victims of domestic violence.

    Balam
  2. Batterd women's shelters by barzok · · Score: 4, Informative

    I seem to recall hearing that battered women's programs/shelters give phones to their clients. In the US (or maybe it's just New York), all cell phones must be able to connect to 911 even if they're not set up with a subscription. So, if someone's in trouble, they have a free call to 911 no matter where they are.

  3. Re:Keep one in your car. by jquirke · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, any GSM phone is required to be able to make a call to '112' whether a SIM / PIN code is present or not. It simply sets the "EMERGENCY" cause establishment in the CHANNEL REQUEST message, and it is up to the network to decide whether or not to allow emergency calls (most do).