Do you have an old mobile phone lying around in the house or office?
Telus, today, launched a program that will help you dispose of your unwanted phone or mobile devices and help you get a store credit from the telecom company or at least send a $3 donation to the tree-planting charitable group Tree Canada in your name. The trade-in program is open to existing and new Telus customers.
Telus is carrying out this program with eRecyclingCorps (eRC), a global organization that partners with carriers and retailers to carryout programs to repurpose and reuse “perceptually obsolete devices.”
All you have to do is present your unwanted mobile device to a Telus store and you will be given an in-store credit if your phone’s model is recent enough that it can be refurbished. If the attendants deem that the device can no longer be refurbished, Telus will donate $3 to Tree Canada.
Customers can trade-in up to three phones, mobile Internet keys or mobile Wi-Fi devices (with a maximum combined value of up to $300). Credits will be applied to the device or accessory cost for a new activation or renewal at the time of trade.
“Trading in their current device for credit towards the latest and greatest smartphones and accessories is a smart and future friendly way for our customers to get their next device faster,” said Brent Johnson, Telus vice-president of mobility solutions.
In a recent survey, Telus found that 61 per cent of Canadians have between one and five old cell phones lying around at home. The same number of respondents said they would be glad to trade their phones in if they would get something in return for doing so. About 82 per cent they would hand in their old phones if they knew that it would be disposed of safely.
The trade-in program will also help customers keep their old phones out of landfill, according to David Edmondson, CEO of eRecycleCorps.
The Telus survey also found:
· 54 per cent of Canadians would like to recycle their cell phones but don’t know how to
· 24 per cent of Canadians 18-34 years old see themselves as tech gurus and always use the latest wireless phone vs. 11 per cent for Canadians 35-54 years old
· Quebec is the champion of device recycling with 61 per cent of Quebecers recycling their old devices