Wells Fargo to collect ‘Cell Phones for Soldiers’

Through Nov. 30, Wells Fargo and nonprofit Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. are asking Alaskans to help commemorate Veterans Day by donating gently used cellular phones at any of Wells Fargo’s 49 banking stores in Alaska.

Last November, Wells Fargo customers and team members in Alaska donated 760 cellphones that were recycled with proceeds used to purchase 1,000 prepaid international calling cards for Alaska troops. The effort is led by Wells Fargo’s Alaska Veterans Team Member Network, which collected 4,818 cellphones last year during similar nationwide drives.

Donated phones are sent to Mindful eCycling for recycling. Every donated phone valued at $5 provides two and a half hours of free talk time for deployed troops.

About half of the phones Mindful eCycling processes are reconditioned and reused. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and responsibly recycled to reclaim materials, including gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards; copper wiring from phone chargers; nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs; and plastic from phone cases and accessories.

Since teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist founded Cell Phones for Soldiers in 2004, they’ve provided 192 million minutes of free talk time to servicemen and women stationed around the world. For more information, visit cellphonesforsoldiers.com.