Cellular Telephones: Disposal of Cell Phones

Many options are available for reuse or disposal of cell phones which are old or no longer needed. While cell phones are currently specific to the service provider you utilize, your number can be removed from the phone and replaced with another number from the same provider.

If your phone is from one of MIT's preferred vendors, Sprint/Nextel or Verizon Wireless, inquire in your department to see if anyone else can use a cell phone from that vendor. AO's may wish to hold onto deactivated phones from preferred vendors to serve as backup for lost or broken phones, or for staff who need a new phone.

If you cannot identify a business need for your old cell phone, you should consider donating it.

Erase Cell Phone Data!

Before disposing of your cell phone in any manner, remove all of your personal information and data -- such as contact names and phone numbers, notes, calendars, documents, etc. -- from the device. In other words, "wipe it clean"! For instructions, check the device's user guide, or the web site of the manufacturer or the operating system. Terminology will differ, but look for phrases such as "clear storage" (Windows Mobile), "hard reset" (Palm OS), or "data wipe" (Blackberry), or similar terms.

Also, the Cell Phone Data Eraser web site provides tools and instructions for most cell phone manufacturers and models.

Donation Programs

Community Giving at MIT
Drop off or send your old cell phone to the MIT Community Services Office, room E19-432. Cell phones are donated to the Community Advocacy Program (CAP), which provides crisis intervention, counseling, support, and prevention services for victims of domestic violence in Roxbury, Dorchester, South Boston, and surrounding communities.

CAP is reimbursed for donated phones by Shelter Alliance and Verizon Wireless’s HopeLine New England Program. The funds raised support an Emergency Assistance Fund for survivors of dating and domestic violence. Phones are also reprogrammed to dial 911 and the Safelink Domestic Violence Hotline, and are  then given to victims for emergency use.  More information is available from the MIT Community Services Office.

Sprint/Nextel Buyback Program & Sprint Project Connect
Determine whether your Sprint PCS or Nextel phone is eligible for Buyback, and a Sprint account credit. If it is not eligible, you may recycle your phone, battery, and accessories with SPRINT PROJECT CONNECTSM.

Sprint Project Connect is a free service for anyone who has wireless phones, batteries, accessories, and connection cards that they no longer use. All makes and models are accepted, regardless of condition or service provider.

All of the net proceeds from Sprint Project Connect help keep kids safer online through Sprint's 4NetSafety program, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the NEA Health Information Network,  and others.

Verizon Wireless HopeLine
The Verizon Wireless national HopeLine program distributes previously owned wireless phones to victims of domestic violence, supports non-profit domestic violence prevention groups, and provides an environmentally friendly method for recycling handsets.

At the center of HopeLine is a phone recycling program. Verizon Wireless stores throughout the nation serve as drop-off locations for wireless phones (any brand, any carrier) that are no longer in use. 

To find the closest store in your area, visit the Verizon Wireless Store Locator.

To learn more about the program, see Verizon Wireless HopeLine.

CollectiveGood Mobile Phone Recycling
CollectiveGood is a resource for recycling mobile phones, pagers, or PDAs in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. At CollectiveGood, you can:

• Preserve the environment by keeping used mobile devices out of a landfill, and by recycling them back into re-use.
• Help raise funds for a charity of your choice in the process.
• Put that spare mobile phone into re-use for people in the developing world.
• Be rewarded for your good deed with a thank-you letter and tax deduction for an in-kind donation to a charity.

The CollectiveGood web site lists places where you can send devices, or you can drop them off at any Staples or FedEx/Kinkos store.

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