# Where/how can I recycle old cell phones for reuse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768 "2011-11-22T16:54:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/21 "2011-11-29T19:46:06Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Are there any that will actually send you an envelope to send the phones back in? (I. Just dump them in the box at the entrance of any Walmart when you are there. They are labeled for eyeglasses, but when the stuff gets to me, I sort the eyeglasses, hearing aids go to those that otherwise can’t afford them, and anything else is sold to support the eyeglass recycling. there is all sorts of stuff. I once found a braclet made out of alternating pennies and similar sized Masonic emblems. Bet somebody paid a big price for that originally. A lot of the third world countries don’t even have many eye doctors even for those with money. Imagine the huge difference it makes in somebody’s life with bad, but correctable vision when a team comes and fits them with the prescription they need. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/22 "2011-11-29T22:28:33Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > Just dump them in the box at the entrance of any Walmart when you are there. They are labeled for eyeglasses, but when the stuff gets to me, I sort the eyeglasses, hearing aids go to those that otherwise can’t afford them, and anything else is sold to support the eyeglass recycling. there is all sorts of stuff. I once found a braclet made out of alternating pennies and similar sized Masonic emblems. Bet somebody paid a big price for that originally. > > A lot of the third world countries don’t even have many eye doctors even for those with money. Imagine the huge difference it makes in somebody’s life with bad, but correctable vision when a team comes and fits them with the prescription they need. The problem is I don’t want to drive the 30 minutes each way to go to Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/23 "2011-11-29T22:37:52Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Most of the cardboard boxes we have lying around are very large (like ones that hold multiple reams of copy paper, or the boxes they ship monitors in). Smaller boxes that things arrive in are recycled the same day. Is there no time between “smaller boxes arrive” and “smaller boxes are recycled” when you could perhaps _put one aside to use for this_? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/24 "2011-11-29T22:48:01Z")
Well, even the smaller boxes are far larger than what is needed to send these phones in, for one thing. For another thing, the boxes don’t always go through me. Frequently other people get and then recycle boxes without me ever seeing them. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/25 "2011-11-29T22:53:41Z")
In that case, my advice to you is simply to tell your manager that there is no convenient way for you to recycle this equipment and then just dispose of it in the garbage. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/26 "2011-11-29T23:52:54Z")
Whole Foods usually has a slot you can drop them in. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/27 "2011-11-30T00:01:54Z")
Many optical places have collection boxes too. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/28 "2011-11-30T00:04:52Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > Whole Foods usually has a slot you can drop them in. Good to know, but again, that’s a 30 minute each-way drive for me which I’m trying to avoid. Keep in mind this is for work, but any time I put into it outside of work hours I’m not going to be paid for. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/29 "2011-11-30T00:07:26Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Good to know, but again, that’s a 30 minute each-way drive for me which I’m trying to avoid. Keep in mind this is for work, but any time I put into it outside of work hours I’m not going to be paid for. Then go here and get a pre-paid shipping label, wrap them in a shoe box and mail them. [http://www.massrecycle.org/cell-phone-donation.html](http://www.massrecycle.org/cell-phone-donation.html) ---
**Author:** ![missinformation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@missinformation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missinformation)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/30 "2011-11-30T01:55:07Z")
Check with your local police department. Our sheriff’s department collects them at the local offices and we have bins in our supermarkets for collecting also. One of the self-storage places here collects used electronics for recycling also. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/31 "2011-11-30T02:14:22Z")
My public library system collects cell phones… Local religious organizations may either take them directly, or be willing to be a middle-man in the delivery. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/32 "2011-11-30T03:05:18Z")
Have you checked your local cell phone store? Many will take old phones regardless of the original provider for recycling. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/33 "2011-11-30T14:51:53Z")
Ask around at work if anyone will be going to Walmart in the next few days. When you get a positive response, ask them if they wouldn’t mind doing you a favor and dropping the phones in the collection box. Alternatively, scissors and some tape paired with a bit of creativity can be used to transform a large box into a much smaller box. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/34 "2011-11-30T16:29:11Z")
Best Buy collects and recycles old electronics. While this isn’t recycling them for use by battered women, etc, it can be a way to get rid of stuff that might be more convenient, if the other options are too much of a pain. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/35 "2011-11-30T17:19:40Z")
Okay, I think I’ve got this figured out. One of the options (I’ve already forgotten which) let me order an envelope to be sent. I asked for 2 since I have so many phones. We’ll see what that looks like when it comes. If that doesn’t seem like it’s going to work, I’ll ask my boss if I can use my work Visa to buy a padded envelope at the post office and use one of the options with a prepaid shipping label. The post office is at least on my way home, so it wouldn’t be a lot of extra driving. (I’m really trying to avoid doing a lot of extra driving, because I live far away from everything–most of the places suggested in this thread, for example, would probably be 20-30 minutes each way if not more, not taking traffic into account. And there is frequently a lot of traffic. Did I mention I don’t like driving around here?) Thank you to everyone who replied. Whatever I end up doing, I’m sure it will be one of the things from this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768/36 "2011-11-30T23:31:49Z")
LG Electronics wants you to text them! By sending a message to 57895, LG Electronics will provide a prepaid envelope for mailing cell phones for recycling. Customers can request envelopes and pre-paid labels online for mail-back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-how-can-i-recycle-old-cell-phones-for-reuse/603768.md?page=1)