Everywhere you look these days, you see people and companies talking about "going green." It's great that we're all trying to find ways to use lest energy and conserve our resources and planet. The best way to have a big impact is by replacing everyday items with more eco-friendly alternatives. Surprisingly, that one technological gadget that we all can't leave home without anyomore, the cell phone, is an area where you can be environmentally friendly. A study published in 2005 estimated that Americans replaced over 100 million cell phones in the previous year. All of those phones that got replaced had to go somewhere, right? Although some were kept by consumers to use in case their new phone broke or was lost and some were recycled, the vast majority were simply thrown away in the trash. Like most garbage, they now sit in landfills. This is not good for our environment as cell phones contain a number of harmful chemicals (e.g. in the battery) that can seep in to our soil and ground water over time. Alternatively, some cell phones that were thrown away may have been incinerated, meaning those toxic chemicals were released into the atmosphere. Also not good.



So how can we be more "green" with our cell phones? The answer is the same as it is with all other textile products: Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle.

Reduce: It's tempting to continually upgrade your cell phone as manufacturers continue to release new phones with more features. This leads to many of us replacing our old phones before they are antiquated and useless. Further, keeping up with the ever-evolving trends gets expensive as a newer "latest and greatest" phone is released seemingly every month. People that do keep up generate a lot of waste in the form of phones that are slighly used, yet perfectly functional and capable of being used for several more years. Again, most of these phones are thrown away, where they create the environmental concerns mentioned above. You can do your part by reducing your "cell phone turnover" - the frequency that you purchase new phones. Instead of replacing your phone every 6 months, shoot for every 12 or 18 months. Chances are you won't be able to tell much difference, and you'll save some money while helping our environment.

Reuse: There is a huge market out there for used cell phones that most people don't consider when they need to replace an old phone. Even the "latest and greatest" phones can be found in used or refurbished condition. The additional benefit of purchasing used cell phones is that they are cheaper. Buying used and refurbished phones keeps one more phone from our landfills and incinerators, which helps to lessen the environmental impact that these handy devices have.

Recycle: Finally, when you do replace your current phone (hopefully with a used cell phone), take the necessary steps to ensure that your old phone doesn't end up in a landfill or incinerator. There are numerous places in every city where you can drop off old phones for recycling and some online services will even mail you a prepaid envelope to send your phone to a recycling center.

The adage of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" is true for cell phones as well. We can all help make a difference by following these simple steps when shopping for and replacing cell phones. Next time you need a new phone, take a look in the refurbished and used cell phone market - you'll be surprised what you find in both selection and savings. Last but not least, don't forget to recycle your old phone!