Dialers For Dollar$

How’s your junk drawer? The one with an assortment of loose change, Gorilla Glue, golf balls, keys that open who knows what, and that old cell phone that no longer works but you can’t bear to toss it in the trash.

Well, I have a purpose for at least one of those clutter bombs.

It’s called …

Dialers For Dollar$.

What’s that again? Dialers For Dollar$?

And yes, the “s” is a “$.” Clever, right?

Dialers For Dollar$, hosted by Reverse Recycling, is a company that collects old or unused cell phones (in ANY condition) and recycles them properly so they don’t end up circling back around to bury us. According to Dialers For Dollar$, “Did you know that cell phones, on average, are used for less than 18 months before being replaced? In America alone, more than 140 million cell phones will end up in a landfill this year. It is estimated that there are over 500 million unwanted cell phones in junk drawers in the United States alone, with an average of 4 in every household.”

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Tomasz G. Sienicki

Dialers For Dollar$ has found a way to make recycling these devices a barrel of fun. Here’s how: You request a donation barrel for, say, your local coffee shop (once you’ve asked them for permission). You create some signage for the barrel and people drop in their old cell phones. (The barrel is only a 14” wide x 24” tall and can hold up to 15 gallons.) When the barrel’s full, you e-mail Dialers For Dollar$ and they send you a free shipping label for the original shipping box.

Dialers For Dollar$ offers $1.50/lb to the host location for all donated cell phones and personal handheld devices collected, and $.20/lb for all accessories such as chargers, ear buds, and batteries. Then, Reverse Recycling matches that amount to the charity of your choice. Another nice thing about this fundraiser is you can also choose to donate the full amount to your local charity. Many find the program to be a fun and easy way to give back to their community on a local level.