Wireless turning green for Earth Day

If Americans follow through on their good intentions, 42% of them, plan to do something in support of Earth Day, which is observed around the world on April 22. Fourteen percent said they will be doing their bit for the environment by recycling their used rechargeable batteries and cell phones, according to a survey by The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp.

The RBRC is a non-profit organization dedicated to rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling. It’s survey, conducted by GfK NOP, showed recycling mobile technology to be somewhere in the middle in terms of the options people chose to observe the day. Over 26% will be participating in a local park clean up or tree planting activity, while 6% plan to observe with their wallets and make a donation to an environment-focused charity.

Cell Phone recycling jumped from 3.2% o f last year’s survey respondents to 15% this year. For some reason, 37% of Americans hold onto their old cell phones after buying new ones. With 43% of American cell phone users replacing their devices every two years and 20% replacing them yearly, there are a lot of cell phones sitting in drawers of glove compartments around the country.

And that doesn’t take into consideration the fact that Americans use an average of six wireless electronic products in their day-to-day lives and that more than 16% of consumers own and use ten or more wireless products--iPods, laptop computers, PDA's, digital cameras, cordless power tools, electric toothbrushes, and camcorders—that are all powered by rechargeable batteries.

Wireless operators such as Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless (and no doubt the rest) are doing their part this week to promote the practice and educate consumers. Cingular is encouraging consumers donate unwanted cell phone equipment at special recycling events in the Pacific Northwest this weekend by offering 15% off of any one accessory item at the time of the donation.

Cingular is partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency in its Plug-in To eCycling Campaign. In 2005, Cingular collected nearly a quarter million pounds of mobile phones, batteries, and accessories for reuse, resale and recycling through its collection programs nationwide.

The EPA said that the U.S. recycles only 28% of its waste.

Last year, Verizon Wireless collected nearly 3400 old phones through its HopeLine program in Maine alone. The operator has programs in other states as well, including Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Wireless customers can also drop-off old wireless phones and accessories from any wireless service provider at more than 70 regional Verizon Wireless Communications Stores based throughout New England.

In 2005, Verizon customers recycled nearly 150,000 pounds of batteries through the national HopeLine and Charge Up to Recycle programs. This doubled the effort in 2004.

Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA, encouraged all wireless consumers to recycle their used wireless products with this statement: “Not only are you helping the environment when you recycle a wireless device, charger or accessory, but you can also help numerous charitable causes,” he said. “These programs can put the value of retired wireless products to work for a good cause, and help you with your spring cleaning.”

The first nationwide wireless recycling program was The Wireless Foundation’s Call To Protect, launched in September 1999 to collect retired wireless products to help in the campaign to end family violence. The Call To Protect program has collected more than 2.5 million phones, provided more than $3 million in funding for domestic violence agencies, supplied more than 36,000 wireless phones and airtime to domestic violence survivors and kept more than 200 tons of retired electronics out of landfills.

The increase in green-thinking electronics consumers could stem from new Gallup Poll results that find 70% of Americans believe global warming is a real threat. And it is much less detrimental to their coveted lifestyle than capping emissions, which, according to the Gallup release, would cost the U.S. economy some $350 billion by 2012