When you recycle your iPhone with us at MLG Cash, we promise to responsibly handle the device so that it causes no environmental harm. Here’s how you can properly recycle your phone with us.
The Environmental Impact of Old Cell Phones
The environmental impact of old cell phones can’t be understated, especially considering there are an estimated 600 million unused cell phones in the United States alone. That’s nearly two times as many people as are living in the country right now. If these phones aren’t responsibly recycled, the environmental impact could be enormous.
By properly recycling cell phones, we’re doing our part to minimize this impact. Whether you recycle with us or some other way, please do your part to minimize the impact of old cell phones too.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (And Plant)
Our approach to recycling cell phones follows the standard adage of “reduce, reuse, recycle,” but we add our own step of “plant” onto it too.
Reduce Cell Phone Waste
When you recycle your iPhone with us, you’re responsibly disposing of one of those unused cell phones. While 600 million old cell phones are an enormous amount, it’ll only decrease by recycling one cell phone at a time.
Together, we can all do our part to greatly reduce the number of unused old cell phones that are sitting in drawers, dressers, and desks. Although phones in these locations seem relatively benign, they can leach harmful chemicals if one day thrown into the garbage. They also could leach chemicals right where your home is if there’s ever a house fire.
Reuse Old Cell Phones
If your iPhone is in good condition and a somewhat recent model, it may be reused by another party. Most importantly, reusing can have an impact on the number of new phones that people buy.
Every iPhone that’s reused by someone else is one more phone that’s not bought new. It’s one more phone that won’t eventually go to a landfill, or even to a recycling plant. Reusing phones helps reduce how many new ones are made.
Recycle iPhone Parts
We at MLG Cash promise to properly recycle and dispose of any iPhones that can’t be reused.
First, we’ll recycle all components that can be recycled. A lot of the metal in iPhones and some of the plastic is fully recyclable, and we’ll ensure these go to a recycling plant rather than a landfill.
Second, we’ll safely dispose of anything that can’t be recycled. This most importantly includes the toxic chemicals that are commonly in phones:
- Lead can cause intellectual impairment, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and other problems
- Mercury can cause intellectual impairment, reduced reflexes, reduced motor skills, and other problems
- Cadmium can cause cancer, cardiovascular, neurologic, respiratory, and reproductive issues
When these chemicals aren’t properly disposed of, they can leach into drinking water. This may be a minor problem in parts of the U.S., but it’s a major problem overseas where many cell phones are taken for disposal. We’ll ensure that any toxic chemicals, including lead, mercury, and cadmium, aren’t allowed to leach into drinking water anywhere.
Plant a Tree
In addition to taking proper care of your iPhone, we also have made a commitment to plant one tree for every cell phone recycled. With more than 600 million cell phones available for recycling, we hope to one day have a vast forest planted.
Recycle Your iPhone With MLG Cash
As an added bonus for being responsible with your iPhone, we can also likely pay you for it. To get started recycling your old phone with us (and to find out how much it’s worth), fill out our brief online quote tool.
