BEDMINSTER, N.J., April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States recycles only 28%
of its waste. On Earth Day 2006, Verizon Wireless encourages consumers to
recycle their old wireless phones. Last year, in the weeks surrounding
Earth Day, Verizon Wireless collected more than 100,000 no-longer-used
phones through its national HopeLine(R) program. This year, Verizon
Wireless again makes it simple for people in local communities to increase
the number of phones collected and help consumers do their part to protect
the Earth's resources.
Wireless Phone Recycling
HopeLine makes it easy to recycle on Earth Day -- and every day of the
year. HopeLine regularly holds phone collection drives at sporting events,
concerts and store openings in communities from coast to coast. Consumers
can check their local community calendars to find upcoming HopeLine events
in their areas.
Wireless customers who want to recycle their phones, but do not have a
scheduled phone drive in their area, can drop-off old wireless phones and
accessories from any wireless service provider at their local Verizon
Wireless Communications Store. A list of all Verizon Wireless
Communications Stores can be found at http://www.verizonwireless.com.
Wireless phones that are collected through HopeLine are recycled or
refurbished, with proceeds benefiting victims of domestic violence and
local non-profit advocacy agencies. Since the HopeLine phone recycling
efforts began in 2001, consumers have donated nearly three million phones
to HopeLine and more than 600,000 phones have been recycled.
Battery Recycling Programs
In addition to wireless phones, Verizon Wireless also collects spent
rechargeable batteries for recycling. The Verizon Wireless Cell Phone
Battery Recycling program is an easy way for customers to join with Verizon
Wireless to help conserve the earth's natural resources and prevent spent
batteries from entering community landfills. In 2005 alone, nearly 150,000
pounds of batteries were recycled through the HopeLine and Charge Up to
Recycle programs, almost double the amount recycled in 2004.
Using Less Paper for Billing
Verizon Wireless also encourages its customers to conserve resources
through the company's streamlined and online billing options. Verizon
Wireless offers consolidated billing across the country, resulting in about
40 percent less paper used to produce customers' monthly billing
statements.
Customers are still able to view itemized charges to their bills
through My Account, which provides a single source for online customer
service and account information and is ideal for environmentally conscious
customers who prefer to access their account online. Customers can access
My Account by visiting http://www.verizonwireless.com/myaccount, and
entering an account number and password.
Together, Verizon Wireless' streamlined and paperless billing help
reduce the amount of paper used for customer bills by more than 800 million
sheets per year, preserving more than 11,000 trees annually. In addition,
these steps save more than 5.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity and
more than 240,000 pounds of ink each year.
For more information on Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program or for
instructions on donating wireless phones or rechargeable batteries, visit
http://www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless
network, serving 51.3 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in
Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon
Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more
information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and
request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of
Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia
Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
|
