Celebrating America Recycles Day, wireless major Sprint is demonstrating
customers that recycling their unwanted cell phones is good for their wallet
and the environment.
Sprint offers a cash incentive of up to $350 through the Sprint Buyback Program
for customers who recycle their eligible wireless devices.
Wireless users are often concerned about the expense of changing to a new
carrier.
The program has allowed customers to benefit from the instant savings and trust
that Sprint is disposing of their phone responsibly. The program also allows
Sprint to offset the subsidy costs of new handsets.
In 2010, Sprint became the first major U.S. wireless provider to “buy back”
mobile devices from any carrier in-store and was the first to offer customers
the option of receiving an instant credit.
The Sprint Buyback Program credit can be awarded instantly in more than 3,000 Sprint
stores nationwide to customers whose devices qualify. It can either be applied
toward the purchase of a new phone, or accessories or to the customer’s
account.
The devices collected are then reused or recycled responsibly, a significant
benefit to customers as the cost of mobile devices continues to climb and a
benefit to wireless providers like Sprint looking for cost efficiencies and
ways to reduce the effects of e-waste.
“We are seeing a huge growth in new customers bringing in other carrier phones
at Sprint,” said Chad Lander, Sprint director of Phone Recycling programs.
“Through the Sprint Buyback Program, we will take eligible phones, from
any competitor, and that gives the customer an instant discount toward the
purchase of a new device. We’ve seen a record number of customers participating
in the buyback program since Sprint got the iPhone,” Lander added.
E-waste is the largest growing waste stream in the US, generating 2.5 million
tons of e-waste annually. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 135 million cell phones
17,200 tons are discarded nationwide each year. Some are shoved into drawers,
others end up in landfills.
About 10 percent are collected for reuse or recycling. Sprint has kept more
than 26 million phones out of landfills and was recognized earlier this year by
the EPA for its voluntary commitment to encourage certified recycling, protect
public health, and support best practices in electronics stewardship.
During the past six months, 60 percent of customers are increasingly
participating in wireless device buyback programs with the remaining 40 percent
expressing intent and/or interest, according to Compass Intelligence Research.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com
