Cell Phones for Soldiers Helps Consumers Donate Old Phones, 27M Recycled To Date

With Back-to-School Purchases and Upcoming Phone Launches, Nonprofit Urges Consumers to Donate their Old Phones to Help the Environment and their Communities

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Cell Phones for Soldiers, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services and emergency funding to veterans, active-duty military members, and their families, is helping consumers recycle and reuse their old mobile phones. To date they have recycled 27 million phones reducing the impact on landfills and CO2 emissions by 1,725B kg.

With the back-to-school shopping season approaching, and new phone launches scheduled in August and September, now is the time to donate old, unused phones. Cell Phones for Soldiers makes it easy to donate via US Mail or at one of their 3,000 drop off locations. Every donation supports veterans, service members and their families. Phones are either responsibly refurbished and distributed directly to recipients or recycled with the proceeds used to purchase phones, calling cards or provide emergency funding.

“Not everyone has a phone or is able to be digitally connected. This is the case for some veterans who need phones to access important services and support, find jobs or stay in touch with their loved ones,” said Rob Bergquist, co-founder and president of Cell Phones for Soldiers. “Donating your old phone is a win-win situation–you help the environment and give back at the same time. Your old phone could help change someone’s life and be their new lifeline. Whether it’s Cell Phones for Soldiers, or one of the many other nonprofits that take phones, now is the time to clean out your junk drawers and clear your old phones and pay it forward.”

How to Donate Your Phone

• Step 1: Back up your data and any photos, videos, contacts or other information on the phone.
• Step 2: Turn off “find my iPhone” and sign out of iCloud if using an iPhone 4 or newer version. If donating a Google phone, remove your Google account.
• Step 3: Erase all the data on your phone. Remove the SIM card and restore your phone to factory settings. If you cannot reset your device don’t worry, we will do it for you using Department of Defense standards.
• Step 4: Go to our website (www.cellphonesforsoldiers/donate) and find a drop off location for your phone or prepare a shipping label to ship your phone.
• Step 5: If shipping, please also print a battery warning label on our website for your package per federal regulations.
• Step 6: Carefully package and ship your phone.
• Step 7: Fill out a donation receipt for your tax deductible donation.

Cell Phones For Soldiers is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services and emergency funding to active-duty military members and veterans. For nearly 20 years, the charity has provided more than 450 million minutes of talk time to servicemen and women deployed around the world, by recycling more than 27 million cell phones reducing the impact on landfills.

Media Contacts:
Matthew Richardson
Guyer Group for Cell Phones for Soldiers
[email protected]

Kimberly Otzman
Guyer Group for Cell Phones for Soldiers
[email protected]

SOURCE Cell Phones for Soldiers