Donating Cell Phones and Inkjet Cartridges

Most people have an old cell phone or three in a drawer somewhere. There are plenty of charities and organizations that can benefit from the donation of your cell phone. Ask your friends and family if they have any to donate while you're at it. I’ve run collections at work for Cell Phones for Soldiers, a local battered women’s’ shelter (through Action Ohio), and am currently collecting cell phones and inkjet cartridges to benefit Komen Columbus, which is the local chapter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Cell Phones for Soldiers collects old cell phones and to provide minutes on prepaid calling cards for U.S. Troops stationed overseas. ReCellular pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone—enough to provide an hour of talk time for soldiers so far from their families and friends . There are 40,000 drop off locations around the US and Canada or you can mail them using a postage-paid label from the website (or your own postage). You can also get a donation receipt for tax purposes off of the website and there are instructions on how to erase the data from your phone before you donate.
If you know a soldier overseas who is in need of a calling card, you can request that one be sent to him or her by providing the APO.

Did you know that deactivated but charged cell phones can still call 911? The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) partners with The Wireless Foundation on the CALL TO PROTECT program. Through the collection of deactivated cell and wireless phones, they are able to provide victims of domestic violence with a way to get help in emergency situations. These donated phones truly provide a lifeline to victims and their children. Phones that aren’t distributed for emergency use are sold to help fund agencies that work to end domestic violence.
If you’d prefer to donate to a battered women’s shelter, you could call your local police department to see if they know of a way to donate locally. In Ohio, you can donate yours to Action Ohio http://www.actionohio.org/ through a local dropoff or by requesting a pre-paid label. When I ran a collection drive at work, they even came to pick up the boxes of phones for free.

Do you have a soft spot for animals? Visit a PetSmart store and look for the PetSmart Charities recycling display to pick up a free postage-paid envelope to send your recyclable ink jet cartridges or cell phones. PetSmart Charities will receive a $2-$15 donation for every cartridge or phone recycled through this program. They only accept certain phones and cartridges, so make sure to check the list on the website.
Now you can purchase recycled inkjet and toner cartridges online here through Recycling for Pets. For each purchase (which ship for free), PetSmart Charities will receive between $2-$5.