With Earth Day approaching, consumers may be looking for ways to improve their environmental impact. In honor of Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22, UScellular encourages people to trade in or recycle their old electronic devices to reduce their carbon footprint.
According to The Global E-waste Monitor 2024, e-waste has grown five times faster than compliant collection and recycling since 2010. In addition, when it comes to overall recycling, 79 percent of recyclable materials are lost before reaching the landfill.
“As Maine residents begin to spring clean or celebrate Earth Day, UScellular can help you sustainably recycle older electronic devices stuck in your drawer,” said Kyle Burbine, director of sales and operations for UScellular in New England. “Our Trade-in program provides credits towards a new device and properly recycles unused devices, keeping them out of a landfill and benefitting our customers and environment at the same time.”
In 2024, UScellular customers accepted 206,000 devices through its trade-in program, which diverted 92,700 pounds of e-waste from landfills and avoided more than 260 million gallons of water pollution.
UScellular offers the following tips on how to utilize technology to improve your carbon footprint:
No more ishcycling – Wishcycling is when we optimistically put non-recyclable objects into our recycling bins. If there is too much trash mixed into the recycling load, the entire load could end up in the landfill. Recyclenation.com provides users with directions to local recycling centers, a list of accepted recyclable materials and hours of operations. The site also can show if materials, such as metal, construction materials and other large items, can be collected in your area.
Be a hero for the Earth – The Earth Hero app offers users hundreds of ideas to live a more sustainable life and care for our planet. Users set climate pollution reduction targets, get personalized suggestions on how to reduce their carbon footprint and connect with others to drive change so climate actions have a multiplier effect.
Scan the barcode – The Scrapp app lets users scan the barcode of an item wanting to be recycled to learn about the disposal options, according to your local disposal rules.
Stop junk mail – The PaperKarma app can help cut junk mail clutter to help save trees. This app allows users to opt out of mailers that include catalogs, donation requests and former resident’s mailers.
UScellular is the fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to help customers stay connected to the things that matter most. The Chicago-based carrier provides a strong, reliable network supported by the latest technology and offers a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. Through its After School Access Project, the company has donated more than $30 million in hotspots and service to help youth connect to reliable internet. To learn more about UScellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, visit newsroom.uscellular.com.
