California Mandates Cell Phone Recycling

As of July 1, California will have the first mandatory cell phone recycling law, requiring wireless retailers to set up collection and recycling programs.

As of July 1, 2006, wireless retailers in California will be required to set up collection and recycling programs for unwanted cell phones. Lawmakers have a bit of a point when they argue some 500 million unused cell phones are sitting idle in the U.S. right now (with another 100+ million expected to be added to the pile during 2006), and these devices contain hazardous materials like arsenic, lead, and cadmium which do bad things to people and the environment. (But you’ve also got to ask yourself why lawmakers focus on phones and not, say, cars. But I digress.)

Under the state’s Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004, wireless retailers have to take back old phones that they sold, and either re-use the units or dispose of them properly. As of February 8, it also became illegal for individuals and small businesses to toss unwanted or broken phones into the garbage