UN Environment Programme Partner Discovers 275 Million Pound Pollution Stockpile In The US
Newswire Services
March 21, 2010
PlantMyPhone, an official partner of the United Nations Environment Programme´s Billion Tree Campaign, estimates that the stockpile of old cellphones in US from the last five years totals 275 million pounds. To turn the tides of pollution, PlantMyPhone announces the launch of a new service that harnesses this stockpile of pollution to fight climate change. PlantMyPhone enables individuals to recycle their old phone to fund the planting of new trees.
The EPA estimates that of the 140 million cellphones retired per year, only 10% are recycled. The remainder decay in drawers in our homes or end up in landfills. Cellphones contain toxic materials such as lead, mercury, beryllium, arsenic, cadmium, and antimony. If incinerated these substances can pollute the air we breathe, in landfills they can leach into local water systems. "PlantMyPhone estimates that the stockpile of old cellphones from the last 5 years totals an astounding 630 million handsets…" explained Krates Ng, co-founder of PlantMyPhone. "It is both a large environmental hazard and a large opportunity that can be harnessed to fight climate change".
Many of the materials found in cellphones are also on the EPA's list of persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs). Because PBTs accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and animals, the toxins are gradually concentrated, putting those at the top of the food chain at the greatest risk, especially children. According to the EPA, "PBTs are associated with a range of adverse human health effects, including damage to the nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, cancer and genetic impacts."
The PlantMyPhone program is free for everyone to participate (PlantMyPhone pays for all postage). Individuals can print free shipping labels or request pre-paid postage mailer bags online at PlantMyPhone.com. PlantMyPhone has partnered with environmentally progressive retailers to increase the awareness of the program and make mailer bags available for local pickup. A listing of local retail partners is available online at PlantMyPhone.com.
In addition to protecting the local environment and fighting climate change, participants have a chance to win $1,000. Odds of winning are set at 1 in 500 to ensure that the awareness will spread from winners via word of mouth.
As an environmental win, PlantMyPhone plants a minimum of 1 tree per phone and an average of 15 trees per phone. These trees are planted in tropical regions that have the highest efficiency in fighting climate change. PlantMyPhone trees are planted via agroforestry education programs that reforest depleted lands with environmentally and economically sustainable farming. Agroforestry integrates agriculture, trees, people and animals in ways that restore ecological balance, while allowing farmers to make the best possible use of the resources they already possess. The ultimate goal is an environmentally and economically sustainable system of land use in which planting and properly nurturing trees helps to provide a lifetime of income and a legacy that can be proudly passed on to future generations.
The purpose of PlantMyPhone is to turn the tide of local pollution and global climate change so that all citizens of our planet can leave a legacy that they can proudly pass on to future generations.
The EPA estimates that of the 140 million cellphones retired per year, only 10% are recycled. The remainder decay in drawers in our homes or end up in landfills. Cellphones contain toxic materials such as lead, mercury, beryllium, arsenic, cadmium, and antimony. If incinerated these substances can pollute the air we breathe, in landfills they can leach into local water systems. "PlantMyPhone estimates that the stockpile of old cellphones from the last 5 years totals an astounding 630 million handsets…" explained Krates Ng, co-founder of PlantMyPhone. "It is both a large environmental hazard and a large opportunity that can be harnessed to fight climate change".
Many of the materials found in cellphones are also on the EPA's list of persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs). Because PBTs accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and animals, the toxins are gradually concentrated, putting those at the top of the food chain at the greatest risk, especially children. According to the EPA, "PBTs are associated with a range of adverse human health effects, including damage to the nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, cancer and genetic impacts."
The PlantMyPhone program is free for everyone to participate (PlantMyPhone pays for all postage). Individuals can print free shipping labels or request pre-paid postage mailer bags online at PlantMyPhone.com. PlantMyPhone has partnered with environmentally progressive retailers to increase the awareness of the program and make mailer bags available for local pickup. A listing of local retail partners is available online at PlantMyPhone.com.
In addition to protecting the local environment and fighting climate change, participants have a chance to win $1,000. Odds of winning are set at 1 in 500 to ensure that the awareness will spread from winners via word of mouth.
As an environmental win, PlantMyPhone plants a minimum of 1 tree per phone and an average of 15 trees per phone. These trees are planted in tropical regions that have the highest efficiency in fighting climate change. PlantMyPhone trees are planted via agroforestry education programs that reforest depleted lands with environmentally and economically sustainable farming. Agroforestry integrates agriculture, trees, people and animals in ways that restore ecological balance, while allowing farmers to make the best possible use of the resources they already possess. The ultimate goal is an environmentally and economically sustainable system of land use in which planting and properly nurturing trees helps to provide a lifetime of income and a legacy that can be proudly passed on to future generations.
The purpose of PlantMyPhone is to turn the tide of local pollution and global climate change so that all citizens of our planet can leave a legacy that they can proudly pass on to future generations.
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