Visit Verizon Wireless and Donate an Old Wireless Phone During National Cell Phone Recycling Week

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless is proud to join the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), cell phone manufacturers and other retailers in the second annual Plug-In To eCycling National Cell Phone Recycling Week.  This year's activities take place from April 5-11, and Verizon Wireless encourages consumers to visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store or to use a free mailing label available at http://bit.ly/99nayQ to recycle their old wireless phones, batteries and accessories throughout the week.

All phone donations to Verizon Wireless support HopeLine®, the company's long-running phone recycling and reuse program that benefits victims of domestic violence and supports prevention and awareness efforts.  In April 2009, consumers donated more than 90,000 wireless phones to HopeLine, becoming an important part of Verizon Wireless' ability to recycle more than 1 million phones through this program for the third consecutive year.  

Phones given to HopeLine will be refurbished for reuse or will be disposed of in an environmentally sound way under a zero landfill policy.  Thousands of the refurbished phones are distributed to domestic violence shelters to be used by victims and survivors as they create safety plans and rebuild their lives.  

Since 2001, through HopeLine's efforts, more than 7 million phones have been collected and kept out of landfills, and more than 1.6 million no-longer-used wireless phones have been disposed of in an environmentally sound way.  Additional proceeds from HopeLine provide financial support to non-profit domestic violence advocacy agencies across the country.

To learn more about HopeLine, visit http://bit.ly/cwFfyO.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit 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 www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

EPA's Plug-In To eCycling National Cell Phone Recycling Week

April 5-11, 2010

Plug-In To eCycling's National Cell Phone Recycling Week 2010 is a joint effort with leading cell phone manufacturers, service providers and retailers to increase the awareness and recycling rates for cell phones. Plug-In To eCycling encourages Americans nationwide to donate or recycle their unwanted cell phones during the week of April 5-11, 2010. For additional information and to find cell phone recycling locations near you, please visit: www.epa.gov/cellphones.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless