Cells for Cells

Recycle Cell Phones to Help Families Battling Cancer

Meet Haley Shaw: Cancer Advocate and Adventurist

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Tell us a little bit about you, Haley.  You just spent three years in New Zealand…

Yes, it was quite an adventure. I was at a point in my life where freedom and curiosity collided and I boarded a plane on Valentine’s Day to strike out for Wellington, NZ. While there, I decided to pursue a degree in Architecture. I figured if I was striking out for the unknown, why not cultivate my creative side as well! Prior to New Zealand, I resided in Chicago and spent several years working for a large health focused Non-Profit organization. The relationships that I built with patients and caregivers stayed with me and are at the heart of why I accepted this position with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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Uber-Useful Way to Lower Your Electric Bill: Power Sucks at the Johnson County Library

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Do you wonder why your electric bills keep going up and up?  What can you do?  Well, The Johnson County Library, in conjuction with the Jo. Co. Health and Environment Department are providing the uber-useful Kill-a-Watt device so that residents and business can locate energy waste.  Who would have thought you could lower your electric bill with a trip to the library!

According to the press release, “The average household spends up to 10% on their energy bill each month powering devices in the standby mode; that means they are off, but still sucking power. Some common devices that contribute to the “phantom energy” are computers in sleep mode; power cords plugged into the wall, but not connected to a device; and electronics with a digital display such as DVD players. The modern household has an average of 27 electronic gadgets, and they all add up.  Residents who check out the Kill-A-Watt energy meters can identify the power sucking devices in their homes and make small changes that will save on their electricity bill.”

I have already reserved my Kill-a-Watt meter.  I am super curious about which electronic devices in my home suck my power.  Some quick off-the-top-of-my-head calculations indicate that I could save $20 – $30 per month by identifying and UNPLUGGING some of my power sucking devices.

Here are more details via KCTV5

KCTV5

How Do I Block Unwanted Text Messages on My Cell Phone Updated for 2012

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Finally, carriers are making it easier to block unwanted text messages…

Here are the quickest answers from Verizon, T-Mobile, ATT, and Sprint to help you block unwanted text messages and even callers.

If you are a Verizon customer:

Go to:  www.verizonsafeguards.com

Click on the Block Unwanted Text Messages option and follow the instructions.

Rating B+  The service is free.  You can apply the block from a Verizon store, your computer or your device.  The process is simple:  If you are text savvy, then you’ll be able to apply this fix very easily.  Verizon’s blocking service allows you to block individual numbers, emails, and website that have been spamming you.  Verizon offers additional strategies to help you avoid text spam.  One small drawback:  You can only block 5 numbers at a time.

If you are a T-Mobile customer:

Go to:  www.tmobile.com Log into your account settings.

T-Mobile’s service is called Family Allowance.  It costs $4.99 per month and blocks up to 10 numbers per account.  If you have a family plan, every family member can block 10 numbers.  It also has some controlling features to limit usage of text, talk, and web.  Your teens may not like it; but you can set time limits for your teens – like not allowing them to receive calls after a certain time at night.

Rating C-  The C- rating is for the time and work it took to find out what the Family Allowance Plan does.  T-Mobile needs to get their customer service reps up to speed and the information on their site needs to be simplified.  It appears that their service will provide you with ample blocking abilities.

If you are an ATT customer:

Go to:  www.att.net/smartcontrols-SmartLimitsForWireless

Rating A  ATT is leading the pack with their service call Smart Controls.  Robust controls for all sorts of situation.  You can block unwanted callers and texts.  You can set limits your teens – like not allowing them to receive calls after a certain time at night.  The instructions are clear on the webpage with an overview, features, costs, and notes flowing smoothly for any customer to understand.  You can have up to 30 numbers blocked.  You can block both wireless lines and landlines.  The one small drawback is that ATT’s Smart Controls service is $4.99 per month.  I believe this service should be included in your plan, especially if you have a family plan.  But again, this is a huge step in the right direction.  Good job, ATT.

If you are a Sprint customer:

Go to:  www.sprint.com Log into your account settings

Rating A-  Sprint also is leading the pack.  Their blocking service is free with up to 50 numbers blocked for spam text and emails.  There is an unlimited numbers you can block for calling.  The customer rep said that a Sprint customer can log into their account and set up the blocks or just call into customer service and they will help you 888-211-4727

Additional Reading

A special thanks to Adam Dachis for his 2011 article of the same name.  Still some good tips here:  LifeHacker How Do I Block Unwanted Messages on My Cellphone

A very cool infographic about Texting via OnlineITDegree.com and designed by Riley Cran

Cell Phone Usage
Via: Online IT Degree

Eight More Tips to Make Cell Phone Recycling Even Easier

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Remember that Re-Use is a component of Recycling

If you are upgrading your cell phone and your friend or family member wants your old iPhone 3 or your Samsung Galaxy v.1 (or even that old Moto Razr!)  that totally counts as recycling.  Pat yourself on the back and tell everyone to call you “Green.”   The point here is that you don’t have to send your device away to a program.  You can just give it to someone you know.  Cells for Cells is the back-up plan if nobody wants to use your old device.

Have a contest among friends or co-workers

Cells for Cells always encourages companies to have an employee collection drive once or twice per year.  Make it fun.  Challenge other managers or office friends to bring in the most old cell phones from home.  The winner should have his / her lunch bought by everyone else!  Ferrellgas Propane had an East Coast VP versus West Coast VP and the “losing” VP (the one that collected the least devices) had to wear a pink flamingo hat and have his picture taken for all of the world to see.  If your company is going to run a Cells for Cells drive, have a ton of fun doing it.

Ask your next-door neighbor

Your neighbor probably has as many old cell phones as you do.  The cell phone industry is still suggesting that EVERYBODY in the US has 3 or 4 old devices laying around.  It gives you a chance to get to know your neighbors a little better and, in turn, your neighbors will recognize you as a resource for recycling.  And you’ll introduce the Cells for Cells story to someone new.  Thank you for that!

Go straight to your junk drawer at home

Oh, the junk drawer!  9 out of 10 American homes have a junk drawer.  (I made that statistic up to help this blog post.)  I bet you’ll find at least 2 old cell phones, 7 old chargers, 3 old batteries, Tic Tacs, dominoes, and an Andes mint from the last time you went to The Olive Garden.

What is in your filing / storage cabinet at work

We have a partner here in Kansas City that opened up their double-door storage cabinet with neat rows of boxes:  2003, 2004, 2005, etc…  In each box was that year’s old and broken cell phones.  The wireless manager wanted to recycle all of it; but hadn’t yet found a place were he wanted to recycle.  He liked the Cells for Cells story and we made his day by clearing up a ton of space for him.

Do you ave any peers that are “Wireless Managers”

I love Wireless Managers (WM’s).  They are, by far, the best allies for Cells for Cells.  These are the folks that truly keep a company’s workforce in synch.  Most of the WM’s that I know are super awesome at troubleshooting and creative problem solving.  I admire their abilities.  If you happen to know a WM, especially if they bailed you out of a Blackberry or Smartphone problem in the past, you should take them out to lunch!  You may even do your WM a favor by telling them about Cells for Cells.

Talk to the President of your company

Every company wants to do better at being green; but lack the time to start implementing those green ideas.  You can be a hero in your company by initiating a conversation about recycling with the President of your company.  Commit to spearheading any new green programs from providing paper recycling on every floor to running the Cells for Cells drives.  You know who you are.  You are the one that wants to make those small changes that, over time, make big differences.  And that is what you are about:  Making a difference!

Keep promises to yourself about recycling more

Okay, it is still early enough in 2012 that all of your New Year’s Promises are fresh in your mind.  If you are like most, odds are that you made some promises to yourself about doing more for the environment.  Some of your promises may have been doing better at recycling electronics or being mindful of where my trash ends up.  I hope that Cells for Cells aligns with some of your promises to make the world a little greener this year.

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Additional Reading

8 Tips for Making Mobile Phone Recycling Easier

Recycling Used Cell Phones:  Yes, Even if Your Dog Chewed on It

 

 

Scrap Metal Recycling: Best Scrap Metal Prices in Kansas City

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Ever wonder where your old cell phone chargers and power cords went

when you recycled them with Cells for Cells?  Each and every old charger, cord and wire that we receive through our cell phone recycling program goes to  North Kansas City Iron & Metal L.L.C in North Kansas City, Missouri.

If you are looking to recycle some of your personal scrap metal,

I would not hesitate to take a trip to their facility.  They are fair and honest – a quality that sometimes can be difficult to find when dealing with recyclers.  And I believe, they pay some of the best prices in the area.

One idea to consider when taking your metals to NKC Iron & Metal:

Make your recycling neat and tidy.  At Cells for Cells, we trim both ends off of all the cords we receive.  It allows NCK Iron & Metal to sort and sell it quickly and easily.  And Cells for Cells benefits with a little bit better pricing for it.

Some of the materials that NKC Iron & Metal will PAY you for your recycling efforts:

  • Aluminum
  • Aluminum cans
  • Batteries
  • Brass
  • Catalytic converters
  • Copper
  • Electrical & Communication Wiring
  • Heater Cores
  • Iron
  • Lead
  • Radiators
  • Steel
  • Stainless Steel
  • Wheels
  • Appliances (see prep)
  • And more!!!

For a full list of items they will accept and items that thy will not accept, visit North Kansas City Iron & Metal’s website for their recycling guide.

Here’s where they are located:

 

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