Apr. 16, 2014
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Company encourages eco-conscious Behaviors on Earth Day & every day
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (April 16, 2014) – In honor of Earth Day, U.S. Cellular encourages people to recycle their old electronic devices and is providing incentives to do so. Customers can get up to $250 when they trade in qualified smartphones – including Apple® iPhones – at U.S. Cellular retail locations through the company’s Trade-in Program.
Statistics on the amount of electronics that are not being recycled are sobering: of the 141 million mobile phones that were discarded in 2009 (the most recent data available), only 12 million were recycled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thirty percent of people who do not recycle their used cell phones refrain from doing so because they don’t know where to recycle their devices, according to an online poll conducted by Earth911.
“If you don’t have a phone that can be traded in, U.S. Cellular associates can easily recycle your used device from any carrier in an environmentally friendly and responsible way,” said Jack Brundige, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Tennessee. “We invite people to stop by one of our stores to trade in or recycle their used cellphones and tablets.”
While recycling old devices is one way to be green, there are other ways to reduce, reuse and recycle from the palm of your hand with a 4G LTE and a device such as the Apple iPhone® 5c or iPad Air. In honor of Earth Day, U.S. Cellular offers the following tips, apps and websites that will help people become more eco-friendly:
• Have fun (and get rewarded) by going greener.
o Recyclebank.com provides actionable tips and advice to become more environmentally conscious. Plus, users get rewarded with points (redeemable for grocery discounts, gift cards, etc.) by being green (recycling, using less water, etc.).
o The fun, JouleBug app also provides valuable information about going green, and users can earn badges and compete with others to be the most eco-friendly. JouleBug claims that users who follow their tips will save an average of $200 per year, which can make your wallet greener as well!
• Recycle more easily. The 1800Recycling app identifies nearby recycling locations based on ZIP code, and provides directions to the recycling centers and lists which materials they’ll take.
• Share your treasures. The Freecycle app allows people to give away their unwanted but reusable stuff to people in their local community who can use the items. Post items to give away or make requests for items on this convenient app.
• Shop greener. Have you ever wished there was a good guide that helped determine which products were safe, healthy and environmentally friendly? Meet the GoodGuide app, which allows users to scan products’ barcodes on their smartphone to access science-based ratings and scores based on these criteria. Information on more than 170,000 items is available, broken down into different categories, such as food, cleaning products and baby items.
“With so much technology at our fingertips it is easier being green,” Brundige added. “From finding local recycling centers to locating more sustainable ingredients for meals, our mobile devices can help simplify and enhance our lives, allowing us to take actionable steps to help our environment.”
4G LTE service provided through King Street Wireless, a partner of U.S. Cellular. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.
About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular rewards its customers with unmatched benefits and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by its high-speed network that has the highest call quality of any national carrier. Currently, nearly 90 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Champion in 2012 for the second year in a row. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.
For more information:
Natalie Lester, Moxley Carmichael
Public Relations Counsel
Office: 865-544-0088
[email protected]
Kellie Szabo
Media Relations, U.S. Cellular
Office: 773-355-3307
[email protected]
