Earth Day, which will be celebrated this year on Friday, April 22, is usually associated with planting trees, cleaning the neighborhood or emptying out that forgotten closet. However, one cell carrier is offering another way to mark the holiday — by trading in used devices.
When customers trade in qualified smartphones online or in-store at USCellular, they can get up to a $600 credit off their bill.
In 2021, the carrier’s customers traded in more than 186,000 devices through its Trade-In program, which diverted nearly 84,000 pounds of e-waste from landfills, and avoided almost 240,000,000 gallons of water pollution. Additionally, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, for every one million cellphones recycled, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.
“Our lives have become easier and more enjoyable because of smartphones and mobile technology, but they’ve also allowed us to take steps to help protect the environment,” said Tabatha McKay, area vice president/general manager for UScellular in New England. “Through our device trade-in program, we can ensure old or unwanted devices are reused or responsibly recycled, keeping our environment clean while also giving customers a chance to earn trade-in credit.”
While recycling or trading in devices is one way to honor Earth Day, the company suggested other ways technology can help people reduce, reuse, and recycle.
For instance, iRecycle is a recycling app that’s useful for finding local recycling facilities whether you’re at home or out exploring. The app also provides access to more than 1.6 million ways to recycle over 350 materials.
The Freecycle app allows users to give away unwanted but reusable items to others in their local community. You can post your offerings for donation or make requests for items that you’ve had your eye on.
Gro Recycling is designed to show kids that recycling is fun, while also helping teach them how to take care of the environment. Players can feed virtual garbage to recycling bins to find out which items are recyclable. The trash is then converted into new products, which are then sorted for reuse.
If you’re looking for tips and advice about recycling, head over to Recyclebank.com. By signing up, users accrue points that can apply to discounts on magazines (that can then be recycled), restaurants and other retailers.
Why continue to receive unnecessary mail when digital is just as good? Many companies, offer online bill management that provide customers access to past statements and other documents, saving time while eliminating waste.
