ReCellular
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Recycling |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Charles Newman |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Bankrupt |
| Headquarters | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
Key people | Charles Newman, Chairman |
| Products | Cell phones |
| Website | www.mobilekarma.com |
ReCellular was a recycler and reseller of cell phones, founded in 1991. ReCellular collected cell phones for resale and recycling, collecting more than 125,000 phones each week.[1]
ReCellular moved its headquarters from Dexter, Michigan to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2011, amid layoffs of about 70 people.[2] In 2013, it closed the Dexter facility and filed for receivership, a form of bankruptcy.[3]
Reuse and recycling
Approximately 60% [4] of the phones ReCellular collected were reprogrammed and sold for reuse. For the phones that are successfully repaired, " About half of the rebuilt phones end up with domestic re-sellers, the other half in developing countries in Africa, South America, and Asia. They typically sell for $16 to $18, of which ReCellular's partners receive as much as $5 to $10 per phone for charities of their choosing." [5]
Obsolete or non-functional phones are passed on to Sims Recycling Solutions to be dismantled and recycled in order to reclaim valuable materials, such as: gold, silver and palladium from circuit boards; copper wiring from phone chargers; nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs; and plastic from cases and accessories.[6]
In November 2006, the magazine Inc. named ReCellular to the Green 50.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Fighting e-waste one cell phone at a time". ITworld. 2008-11-25. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ "Layoffs hit cell phone recycling firm ReCellular despite 50% growth". AnnArbor.com.
- ^ Freed, Ben (December 4, 2013). "ReCellular lays off more than 100 in Ann Arbor area and enters court-ordered receivership". mlive.com.
- ^ "Hidden Sustainability; Revenue Streams". Global Cosmetic Industry. 177 (3): 1. March 2009 – via ebscohost.com.
- ^ Baer, Martha (Nov 2006). "The Recyclers". Inc. 28: 2 – via ebscohost.com.
- ^ Greene, Kate (2008-08-19). "Where Cell Phones Go to Die | MIT Technology Review". Technologyreview.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ "The Recyclers - Green 50 - Sustainable businesses". Inc.com. 2006-11-01. Retrieved 2014-01-15.