Did you know that First Parish participates in a fundraising program through Ecophones? This program returns a portion of the proceeds of the usable parts to First Parish. Ecophones recycles the metals and properly disposes of the hazardous materials. You can find out more information on their website.
If you wish to make a donation, please leave only the following items in the bin outside of the office.
Smart Phones
Cell Phones
iPads
Inkjet cartidges
Please do not leave any other miscellaneous electronics. In a recent clean out of the bin, we found TV remotes; cords that didn’t fit any plugs; computer hard drives; and a wi-fi connector. Please save these types of items for proper disposal at the public works department.
FAQ
Cell Phones
- Over 100 million cell phones are stockpiled in U.S. households creating 50,000 tons of potentially hazardous waste.
- On average Americans replace their cell phones every 12-18 months. An estimated 130 million cell phones are discarded annually in the U.S. alone.
- Cell phones contain toxic substances including Arsenic, Antimony, Beryllium, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Nickel and Zinc which leach into soil and groundwater and form toxins during incineration which have been associated cancer and a range of reproductive, neurological and developmental disorders.
- The cadmium from a single cell phone is capable of polluting 158,200 gallons of water. (That’s 2.4 million 8-ounce sodas!)
Metals
- The production of cell phones, ink jet cartridges and jewelry are all dependent on one or more rare metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium and even gold!
- The mining of metals for consumer electronics and jewelry is the #1 cause of toxic pollution in the United States!
- The average U.S. gold mine uses 3,520,000 pounds of cyanide per year!