MWHS students begin cell phone recycling program
CHRISTINA HAYDEN
1of4Christina HaydenShow MoreShow Less
The Magnolia West High School student council is setting their sights on cleaning up the environment one phone at a time.
As one of their philanthropy projects for the semester, the students are collecting old cell phones so they can be recycled rather than tossed in the landfill.
MWHS student council member Jaiden Whitley said everyone has cell phones they do not use lying around the house.
"There is no point in throwing them away when you can do something to help with them," she said.
To get the word out, students have displayed posters and fliers. As an added incentive, for every cell phone a MWHS student turns in, they receive a raffle ticket.
On March 31, one lucky student's ticket will be drawn, and they will receive an iPod Touch, which was donated to the school by an MWHS parent.
West Student Council Advisor Susan Maddox said the students have set their goal at 1,500 cell phones, since that is about how many students there are in the high school.
"If every student brought one phone that would make a really big difference," she said.
So far the students have collected approximately 90 cell phones for recycling.
MWHS student council member Victoria Tufo said most of the cell phones they receive are about 10 years old, including some that were so large they came in carrying cases.
"We've been getting some interesting ones in," she said.
To ensure the phones that come in remain in a secure place, the drop boxes are regularly emptied into an on-campus safe and are not kept in the classroom. At the end of each week, the phones are then taken to a recycling center for processing.
Maddox said she and the students were enthusiastic about the idea after attending a District Leadership convention, where they learned of a company called Corporate Purchasing Solutions that would help get the awareness out to the community.
According Corporate Purchasing Solutions, a wireless consulting company, one cell phone can contaminate 35,000 gallons of water if it gets into the landfill.
Victoria said the project has taught her how a single cell phone can impact so many people.
"We want to get the community involved and other schools, so they can help their community too," she said.
The students are in the process of setting up several drop boxes around the community. A drop box will be available near the MWHS front office, as well as the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department on Buddy Riley Boulevard.
Any types of old cell phones can be donated. The phones do not have to be in working condition, but they must be intact.