Recycle unused cell phones

[ClutterbrainMember]

I just ran across this website, greenphone.com where you can send in an “old” phone and get some cash for it. I’m wondering if anyone here has heard of or used this site and what you’re experience has been. I have three phones that I’ve had in my donation pile for awhile and this would be an extra bonus to get a little cash back. Now that I’m writing this, I guess my hesitancy is being sure all the data is erased, even though they advise you on how to erase it. So I suppose another question is how does one insure that recycled phones have truly been erased?

Thanks for your input. I hope I don’t sound too paranoid. 😀

[ninakkMember]

Recycle unused cell phones

You don’t sound too paranoid to me (a person who uses Ghostery, Better privacy and HTTPS addons while browsing the web with Firefox to give one example; you wouldn’t believe how many trackers Ghostery can find and block – Unclutterer uses three of them currently LOL). First step is obviously to remove an external memory card, but thereafter I’m a bit lost.

I think I’d start by manually deleting everything that I could (text messages, phone contact list, etc.; calendar might be trickier) and then reactivate the factory settings, which would be two steps of doing ‘the same thing’. I don’t know whether that actually formats the phone though, do they mention this? I know that some type of information can be restored on a computer even when you think you’ve gotten rid of it by formatting, but hopefully mobile phones aren’t as complex…!? Anyone?

[SylviaMember]

Recycle unused cell phones

recellular.com

I just used this site to erase an old, old cell phone (2001 vintage) that I’m ready to donate. The pdfs are individualized for make & model.

[susan-in-texasMember]

Recycle unused cell phones

A friend sold an old cell phone that was still linked to a current account (pre removable chip days) at a garage sale. Within DAYS she had more than $1,000 in charges on it, all to Columbia. The police told her that it was apparently bought by drug dealers, who do this quite often to get untraceable numbers. Cleaning it out=a good thing.

[GypsieMember]

Recycle unused cell phones

Can I recommend Cellphones for Soldiers? http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/

Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas in 2008. To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers expects to collect 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country.

The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.

Here is their FAQ:http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/faq.html

As an active duty service member myself, this is an organization that speaks to me (pun intended). I personally have donated a few cell phones. It’s easy and you can get a donation reciept from them.

[ClutterbrainMember]

Recycle unused cell phones

Sylvia and Gypsie, I will check those sites out. I suppose manual deletion and resetting to factory standards is a good practice. I like the Cell phone for Soldiers idea.

Susanintexas, that is an eye opening story. Even though it’s been 3-4 years ago that I used the phones, I guess I’d better check that the account is indeed closed. They were pre-paid cell phones so I assumed after a certain amount of unuse the account is inactivated.
However I will double check. Thanks for your feedback.

[lgmostMember]

Recycle unused cell phones

Although it is not environmental friendly, I keep all the cellphones currently. I guess if it goes to an unacceptable number, then I break them physically and recycle as raw materials. I think I will perform the same action to my hard disk, usb drive. As I can’t remember how much sensitive information stays in the storage.

Even restored to default factory setting is not a secure format.

[Author]

Posts