Province's Youth Step Up to the Fourth Annual Recycle My Cell Student Challenge
CORNER BROOK, NL, Oct. 17, 2013 /CNW/ - The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) today announced the official launch of a government-approved recycling program for mobile devices that is available to consumers and businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Recycle My Cell program is operated by CWTA in conjunction with cell phone carriers, handset manufacturers and approved processors.
Bernard Lord, CWTA President and CEO and Mike Samson, CEO of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) officially marked the launch of the government-approved cell phone recycling program today during an event at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Corner Brook.
"We know that the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador want to ensure they do the right thing. We are calling on all of you to pull your old cell phones out of your drawers and recycle them," said CWTA President and CEO Bernard Lord. "The Recycle My Cell program, which is completely free of environmental handling fees for consumers, makes cell phone recycling simple, convenient and accessible to all."
Operating voluntarily in the province since 2009, the Recycle My Cell program has already recovered almost 22,000 wireless devices, including cell phones, smartphones, wireless PDAs, cell phone batteries and pagers. With its new designation as a government-approved program, Recycle My Cell will strengthen its commitment to the management of electronic waste in the province by building upon its current 41 permanent drop-off centres in 15 communities. Recycle My Cell will also increase outreach and engagement with communities across the province to increase device recovery and raise public awareness about the importance of ensuring that mobile devices and accessories are disposed of responsibly. The program will also provide MMSB with detailed reports that outline annual performance.
"MMSB recognizes the important environmental leadership role that industry plays in responsibly recycling and disposing of the products they produce," said Mike Samson, Chief Executive Officer of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board. "We are very pleased to work in partnership with the wireless telecommunications industry to ensure Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can continue to participate in the Recycle My Cell program and help divert waste from our landfills."
Consumers can visit the bilingual Web site - www.RecycleMyCell.ca and www.Recyclemoncell.ca - and simply enter their postal code to locate the 10 drop-off locations closest to them. For those who can't visit one of drop-off locations in person, the Web site provides postage-paid labels that can be printed and sent to the program through the mail, free of charge.
Recycle My Cell Student Challenge
As part of its community engagement initiatives, Recycle My Cell hosts the annual Recycle My Cell Student Challenge in partnership with Waste Reduction Week in Canada (October 21 -27, 2013). The Student Challenge, for students from K-12 and post-secondary institutions across Canada, encourages youth to participate to reduce the amount of electronic waste that goes into Canadian landfills by collecting as many old wireless devices and accessories as possible to win $500, to be used towards environmental initiatives at their school. This year's Challenge runs from October 21 to November 22.
"Schools in Newfoundland and Labrador are among the most outstanding participants in the national challenge to date, with Long Island Academy taking top honours in 2012 and Immaculate Heart of Mary School leading the way in 2011 and 2010," said Bernard Lord. "Recycle My Cell congratulates students throughout the province for their ongoing environmental leadership, and encourages more young people to step up to this year's Recycle My Cell Student Challenge."
For more information about how schools can participate in the Student Challenge, visit: http://www.wrwcanada.com/recycle_my_cell.
About Recycle My Cell
Recycle My Cell is made possible with participation from: Bell, BlackBerry, Eastlink, GEEP Inc., GREENTEC, LG Electronics Canada, Inc., Lynx Mobility, Motorola Mobility, MTS, Nokia, Rogers Communications, Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., SaskTel, Sims Recycling Solutions, Sony Mobile Communications, TBayTel, TELUS, Videotron and Virgin Mobile Canada.
BACKGROUDER
Recycle My Cell Program in Newfoundland and Labrador
Recycle My Cell, Canada's national recycling program for wireless devices and accessories, was launched as a voluntary industry-led stewardship program in Newfoundland and Labrador on July 29, 2009.
Newfoundland and Labrador is a leading province in cell phone recycling awareness. While 26% of residents are already aware of Recycle My Cell, 48% of those with an old phone are more likely to store their old device than they are to recycle it. Recycle My Cell provides a convenient and easy way to recycle old cell phones responsibly. The program is completely free for consumers and there are no environmental handling fees.
Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador who visit the bilingual Web site - www.RecycleMyCell.ca and www.Recyclemoncell.ca - can enter their postal code to locate the 10 drop-off locations closest to them where their devices will be accepted, regardless of brand or condition. If a consumer is unable to get to a drop-off location, the Web site provides printable postage-paid labels to use for mailing their wireless devices.
Many different items are accepted for recycling, including cell phones, smartphones, pagers, aircards, batteries, chargers and accessories. After the device is received, it is sent to a recycling plant where it can be taken apart for scrap or be refurbished. Proceeds from the sale of refurbished phones and scrap materials are donated to numerous national and local charities. All of the processors involved in the Recycle My Cell program are ISO certified or verified to be operating in conformance with the requirements of the Electronics Recycling Standard (ERS), so they all have environmental management systems in place that guarantee accountability and knowledge of the environmental impacts associated with recycling.
Recycle My Cell was created and is maintained by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) in conjunction with cell phone carriers and handset manufacturers who have come together to raise awareness about the importance of cell phone recycling. The program's partners include: Bell, BlackBerry, Eastlink, GEEP Inc., GREENTEC, LG Electronics Canada, Inc., Lynx Mobility, Motorola Mobility, MTS, Nokia, Rogers Communications, Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., SaskTel, Sims Recycling Solutions, Sony Mobile Communications, TBayTel, TELUS, Videotron and Virgin Mobile Canada.
For more information, please visit: http://www.RecycleMyCell.ca.
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SOURCE: Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
Media contacts:
Ashlee Smith
CWTA
613-233-4888 ext. 227
[email protected]
Jill Thomas Myrick
MMSB
709-757-3696
[email protected]
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