How to Recycle Old Cell Phones

The average American cycles through smartphones once every two to 2.5 years. While the lifespans of these ubiquitous gadgets continue to increase, they contribute to a growing waste problem. Cell phones, like most electrical devices, contain toxic substances (lead, nickel, mercury, and chromium, to name a few) that can harm the environment, wildlife, and even humans if left to degrade in landfills. That's why it's so important to recycle—or, better yet, find a way to reuse—old cell phones.

There may be multiple options for recycling old cell phones. So how does one know which is best? Besides sending it back to the manufacturer, given it has a take-back program, you could also leave it at a nearby drop-off location or donate it to a charity. Of course, you should make sure the phone will continue to be used if it's still operational.

Learn all about the most eco-conscious ways to bid farewell to an old cell phone.

Why Recycle Your Cell Phone?

Much of a typical cell phone is plastic, including the case and some smaller components. There also tends to be glass in the screen, as well as various metals in the circuits, battery, screen, and elsewhere. Cell phones can contain aluminum, cadmium, chromium, copper, gold, iron, lead, lithium, nickel, silver, tin, and zinc. These materials cause many problems when thrown in the garbage.

On top of plastic pollution, many of the metals in mobile phones are toxic to humans and other animals, as several have potential carcinogenic effects. In a 2019 study of metals in discarded phones, researchers noted a “statistically significant increase” in the toxic content of smartphones between 2006 and 2015, with the largest carcinogenic risk posed by nickel, lead, and beryllium. Silver, zinc, and copper are also linked to other health risks, while copper “dominated ecotoxicity risks” from phones.

When possible, cell phone recycling programs keep devices intact and put them to further use rather than breaking them down and recycling the pieces. The latter method is the safest and healthiest way to dispose of dead or badly damaged phones. Parts can either be sold individually or shredded and added to other recycling. Metal components may be smelted and reconstituted, for example, allowing them to be reused.

How to Recycle Cell Phones

Start by checking with your cellular carrier. Some have buy-back or trade-in programs, or at least offer resources to help you find recycling options. That may include take-back programs from retailers, manufacturers, or other local electronics recycling operations.

Trade-Ins and Take-Back Programs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maintains a list of companies that offer cell phone recycling schemes. Major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all have trade-in and recycling programs. Manufacturers will also take old cell phones, although some accept only their own products. Apple and Samsung both have trade-in programs for eligible older phones, in some cases offering credit or a gift card in return. Both also provide free mail-in recycling for old devices without trade-in value, as do some other big phone makers like LG and Huawei.

A few big-box electronics and office supply chains have trade-in programs, too, as does the online retail giant Amazon. Some stores serve as free drop-off sites for phone recycling, including Best Buy and Staples. In many cases, you can recycle cell phone accessories here as well.

Drop-Off Sites

Call2Recycle is a national consumer battery recycling program that accepts “all types of cell phones and cell phone batteries regardless of size, make, model, or age." Call2Recycle works with thousands of retail and government partners across the country to establish a network of drop-off sites for recycling batteries and cell phones.

Several thousand more drop-off sites are also available via ecoATM, a company with more than 5,000 automated phone-recycling kiosks around the U.S. These kiosks may buy your old phone from you, depending on the type of phone and its condition, or at least accept it for recycling free of charge. Both Call2Recycle and ecoATM have locator tools on their websites to help you find the closest drop-off location.

Recycling for Charity

Unusable cell phones can also be donated to support various causes. Some zoos in the U.S. and Canada accept cell phones for recycling—including Zoo Atlanta, the Toronto Zoo, and Oakland Zoo—and use the money to fund conservation efforts for endangered great apes. Other groups raise money with cell phone recycling to support soldiers, victims of domestic violence, and health care workers in developing regions, among other causes.

Ways to Reuse Cell Phones

Unless a cell phone no longer works, the best way to get rid of it often is to find someone else who wants or needs it. That could be what happens anyway if you return a functional phone to a carrier, manufacturer, or retailer whose trade-in and take-back programs refurbish phones to be resold, sometimes in other countries.

Gifting and Donating

If your phone works but doesn’t have much trade-in value, you could check with friends and family to see if anyone has an older phone and might be interested in yours. Contact your local senior centers and retirement communities, or reach out to shelters for victims of domestic violence and other organizations that help vulnerable and at-risk groups.

Some charities specialize in connecting viable phones and other electronics with people in need; the World Computer Exchange, for one, passes on donated smartphones (with chargers) to lower-income communities around the world, part of a mission to reduce electronic waste and “reduce the digital divide for youth in developing countries.”

Repurposing

Aside from trading, recycling, gifting, or donating your old phone, you could also just keep it and repurpose it yourself. A smartphone without cell service can still be useful in several ways, including storing and playing music like an iPod, serving as an extra camera, or even letting you stream media and surf the internet when connected to WiFi. They can be turned into security cameras or Apple TV remotes by downloading an app.