Sprint Sets Target of 90 Percent Mobile Phone Recycling

Sprint has set a goal of reaching a 90% phone collection rate for reuse/recycling compared with annual wireless device sales by 2017. A recent Sprint survey examining consumers' mobile phone recycling habits found that nine out of 10 surveyed own at least one and as many as five old, unused mobile phones. With more than 140 million cell phones discarded every year in the United States, the need for responsible wireless phone recycling is greater than ever.


Sprint has instituted a "Zer0 e-Waste" policy with the providers who receive and process the recycled phones it collects, ensuring they are recycled safely, ethically and responsibly. In 2008, Sprint collected more than 3 million units, equal to 34 percent of devices sold, an increase from 22 percent in 2007. Of the handsets that Sprint collected in 2008, more than 90 percent were reused.


"This is a challenge for the entire industry," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. "Sprint is the first to set an aggressive 90 percent recovery goal. Sprint is committed to lead the industry in conserving natural resources, decreasing energy use and lowering greenhouse gas emissions."http://www.sprint.com/responsibility/sustainability.html