• The New York Times, Tuesday, January 8, 2008 11:45 AM

The Environmental Protection Agency --in partnership with 11 retailers, manufacturers and service providers--will introduce a public education campaign today aimed at getting consumers to recycle some of the estimated 150 million cell phones that are taken out of service each year.

Eleven companies--AT&T, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples and T-Mobile--are partners in the campaign. Each has promised to collect phones and hold recycling events (and several already do so). Environmental groups applaud the program but--perhaps unsurprisingly--they want the E.P.A. to regulate as well as cajole.

"Recycle Your Cellphone. It's an Easy Call" will rely heavily on public service announcements, particularly in lifestyle and technology magazines read by the 18- to 34-year-olds who trade up to new cell phones most often. The ads will stress environmental and social reasons for recycling.

Read the whole story at The New York Times »