Making money the green way
December 29th, 2007 by moniesA few local companies, however, are offering ways to raise money that will help keep people’s environments a bit cleaner. Not just their home — the entire planet. They also cost no more than an old cell phone or an empty soda can.
A few years ago, Corey Brown, who teaches English and coaches soccer at Fremont’s American High School, read that Americans will replace about 130 million cell phones this year. And that number is likely to soar, he said, because people now can keep their phone number if they switch companies and many are upgrading to phones with cameras.
So he helped form a company to do something about it, rather than let the discarded cell phones turn into 65,000 tons of trash in a landfill.
The cadmium in a single-cell phone battery can pollute an entire Olympic-sized swimming pool, Brown said. But even those not thrown away can cause problems because oftoxins in the fire-retardant plastic used to make them.
“People will give old cell phones to their little kids, and the kids are putting them in their mouths,” he said.
Nonprofit organizations can collect phones that no longer are being used and bring them to Cell Cycle, Brown’s company. If the phone still works, Brown will sell it to a company that will refurbish it. If not working, the phone can be broken down into components and recycled.
Cell Cycle will give the organization about half of what the phone is worth. But even if the phone is worthless, Cell Cycle will pay at least $1 for it, Brown said.
“We get them out of the drawers, out of the boxes and do something with them,” he said.
Tri-CED, Union City’s recycling company, also is providing an environmentally-friendly way for groups to raise money.
Richard Valle, Tri-CED’s CEO, said the company will give a premium to nonprofit organizations for people who bring in cans — provided those donating the cans donate their share of the proceeds to the group.
The program started when Valle was approached by Dana Hernandez, fund-raising coordinator for her son’s Little League baseball team. Hernandez said the idea came from the team’s coach, who wanted the players to earn uniforms to replace their old, tattered ones.
“He wanted to teach our kids to be green and to work for something they want,” she said.
Barry Shatzman can be reached at (510) 353-7003, or bshatzman@angnewspapers.com.
Author: Barry Shatzman, STAFF WRITER
Posted in Uncategorized |