Mar 12 2008
Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty today announced that the New York City Department of Sanitation's Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling is teaming up with Verizon Wireless to collect old cell phones at its annual Electronics Recycling and Clothing Donation events this spring. Doherty is urging all New York City residents to donate their old, unused wireless phones to help survivors of domestic violence.
Phones collected at the recycling events will be donated to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine(R) program, which will refurbish, recycle or sell the phones and donate the proceeds to domestic violence advocacy groups in the form of cash grants and prepaid wireless phones for victims. Phones that cannot be refurbished are disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
"Joining forces with Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program creates a win-win situation for the residents of New York City," said Doherty. "We're always interested in programs that encourage reusing items that otherwise might end up in the waste stream. When you donate your old phone to HopeLine, you'll not only give a product a second life -- you'll also give a family in need a second chance at life."
The City's first 2008 Spring Electronics Recycling and Clothing Donation Event will be held this Sunday, March 16, in lower Manhattan's Union Square from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. Donations will be accepted at the North Plaza on the southeast corner of 17th Street and Broadway. Cars are asked to enter at 16th Street and Union Square West.
Similar events will be held throughout the City, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, on the following days:
- The Bronx: Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, at the Soundview Composting Site; Randall Avenue near Metcalf Avenue, close to the Bruckner Expressway.
- Staten Island: Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, at the Fresh Kills Composting Site; 310 West Service Road, near exit 7 off Route 440.
- Queens: Saturday, May 3, at St. John's University Alumni Hall parking lot; corner of Utopia Parkway and Union Turnpike; cars enter at Gate 4 on Union Turnpike and 175th Street.
- Brooklyn: Sunday, May 18, at Prospect Park; Willink Drive, next to the Carousel near corner of Flatbush Avenue and Empire Blvd; cars enter at corner of Parkside and Ocean Avenue.
Verizon Wireless was the first wireless carrier in the nation to collect and recycle old cell phones and has done so since January 1999 -- first in New York and then across the U.S. To date, thanks to conscientious consumers, the company's national HopeLine program has:
- Kept more than 200 tons of electronics waste and batteries out of landfills.
- Collected nearly 4.5 million wireless phones.
- Properly disposed of nearly 1 million wireless phones.
- Recycled more than 170,000 pounds of batteries in cooperation with Call2Recycle(TM)
"HopeLine was created more than 10 years ago as a means for Verizon Wireless to put its products and services to work to help survivors of domestic violence and help the environment at the same time," said Pat Devlin, president of Verizon Wireless' New York Metro Region. "More than $5 million in cash grants has been awarded to local shelters and groups working to fight family violence across the nation, and nearly 60,000 wireless phones with airtime have helped survivors rebuild their lives."
Locally, HopeLine's direct and in-kind donations total nearly $900,000 including more than $150,000 to the New York City Family Justice Center Initiative.
"Many of us take our cell phones for granted," said Commissioner Yolanda Jimenez of the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence. "But for a woman who is being abused or stalked, it is often her first line of defense."