Don't phone this one in

Despite its diminutive size, the ubiquitous cell phone is fast becoming the pariah of our recycling industry.

Everybody seems to have one -- it is estimated that more than 1 billion are sold worldwide each year. When our phone breaks or the styles change we buy a new one, but what do we do with the old one?

We see them as disposable, and most people toss them in the trash -- with the phones' increasingly rare heavy metals and hazardous chemicals adding to the mix in our already toxic landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency fewer than 20 percent are recycled. Other sources say these figures are optimistic.

Even with this low percentage, the phones, with other forms of electronic waste, have spawned an entirely new recycling industry. Those that are still serviceable usually are refurbished and sold in foreign markets, sometimes at huge profits. But the vast majority are melted down and the valuable metals, including gold, are recovered.

This sounds like an obvious and simple solution, but like in other forms of recycling, there is a massive disconnect. Getting the phones from our hands to the recycling plant usually is a costly and time-consuming prospect that is avoided by most.

To overcome this problem, the Environmental Protection Agency has instituted a yearlong campaign, called "Plug-In To eCycling," to get you to turn them in. As with everything these days, they are trying to sell the program by telling us how much greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by turning in your cell phone.

Recognizing that they have some responsibility, a number of our biggest sellers and dealers -- including AT&T, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples and T-Mobile -- have signed on to the effort. You can drop your phones at their stores or mail them back to the manufacturer.

According to the EPA, these businesses have pledged to "increase capacity and outreach about existing recycling programs; educate the public about the benefits of cell phone recycling, including how and where the phones can be recycled; and work with communities to hold special cell phone collection drives and events."

A worthy effort, but this is like putting a finger in a leak at a dam.

Cell phones and computers are here to stay. It is estimated that four out of five people in our country own cell phones -- a number that will continue to climb -- and most people replace them every year. This profusion of old cell phones and other electronic waste need to be taken out of our environment.

A proven recycling program already is in place. It only needs some adaptation for it to work in the electronic waste field.

When you buy new batteries or tires, the dealer takes the old ones for disposal and recycling, and, if you haven't noticed, you are charged a small disposal fee -- an added expense, but one that most willingly pay.

This program has worked for the auto industry. What used to be a common sight, piles of old tires and batteries in our backyards and garages, is rare these days.

Our regulators and lawmakers need to take heed, and force a similar recycling program for all electronic waste before it is too late.