TORONTO, March 26 /CNW/ - With spring cleaning upon us and earth month
fast approaching, Pizza Pizza, the company that introduced telephone pizza
ordering in Canada, continues to have a firm connection with phones. This time
it's the company's commitment to recycle old cell phones from customers.
Throughout April, Pizza Pizza will be trading cheese or pepperoni slices in
exchange for unused cell phones, with proceeds from the recycling process
going to support local food banks across the country. The initiative, Cells
for Slices, has collected close to 3,000 phones since it started five years
ago. The company is accepting cell phones at traditional restaurants,
approximately 360 across the country, and through its corporate offices in
Toronto.
Old cell phones will yield more than just a slice of pizza. In addition
to the disposal of old, unused technology that may be collecting dust around
the house, the recycling effort translates into a worthwhile donation to Food
Banks Canada through the organization's 'Phones-for-Food' program. The program
sorts and sends old mobiles to a company that refurbishes them and in turn
sells the 'recycled' product back to consumers. On average, a refurbished
phone generates $2 to $5 for nourishing those in need and has the added
benefit of keeping mobiles out of landfills where hazardous chemicals from the
phones can seep into the environment.
"Recycling old cell phones, or whatever else we find during spring
cleaning, is another way for customers to show their commitment to the
environment and Earth Month," said Pat Finelli, chief marketing officer at
Pizza Pizza. "Earth Month is a great opportunity to create and participate in
projects like the Phones-for-Food program that helps those in need and
encourages everyone to share the responsibility for a clean environment,"
added Finelli.
In addition to creating environmental awareness, the Earth Month campaign
aims to inform and encourage the public regarding cell phone recycling. The
average North American gets a new cell phone every 18 to 24 months. This can
expose our communities to waste that should not get into the open environment.
Such a high turnover of cell phones means that everyone should be considering
what happens to their old phones when they fall out of use.
About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada (formerly the Canadian Association of Food Banks) is a
national charitable organization representing the food bank community across
Canada. The organization's Phones-for-Food program generates on average,
between $2 and $5 for every wireless device that is donated. Since its
inception in 2003, the program has raised more than $300,000. The money has
helped provide nourishment to the more than 700,000 Canadians - 37 per cent of
whom are children - that access a food bank in a single month.
About Pizza Pizza
Founded in 1967, Pizza Pizza is an industry pioneer and Canada's number
one pizza chain. With the 2007 acquisition of Pizza 73, a leader in western
Canada, Pizza Pizza operates more than 600 traditional and non-traditional
restaurants coast to coast. Pizza Pizza has introduced numerous innovations
such as whole-wheat, multi-grain dough, a gluten-free crust and the
elimination of industrially-added trans fats from all menu items. Through the
years, the company has been a loyal supporter of community groups, helping to
organize fundraisers, sponsoring events and supporting local projects at the
corporate and franchise level./NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
members of the media/
For further information: Kathleen Stelmach, Torchia Communications,
(416) 341-9929 ext.227, kathleen@torchiacom.com; Jason Chapman, Torchia
Communications, (416) 341-9929 ext. 224, jason@torchiacom.com
