WASHINGTON D.C., September 23, 2008 — ReCellular, Inc. has been selected for the 2008 Best of Dexter Award in the Recycling Centers category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)

U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Local Business Association

CONTACT:
U.S. Local Business Association
Email: PublicRelations@USLBA.net
URL: http://www.USLBA.net

Recycling or reusing cell phones has a significant benefit to environmental efforts. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, producing 150 million cell phones would consume enough energy to power 285,000 homes for a year, and produce more than 258 million kilograms of carbon emissions. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 150 million phones contains $94 million of precious metals – not factoring the cost of recovery – including gold, platinum, silver, palladium and copper.

“We are proud to lend our knowledge and expertise in wireless recycling to help make ‘Going Green’ for Earth Day a reality,” says Chuck Newman, founder and CEO of ReCellular. “This is a great day to build awareness for the small things all of us can do to make a difference.”

In honor of one of the largest environmental movements of the year, ReCelluar has compiled five reasons to recycle those abandoned phones rattling around in your desk drawer:

• They likely still work. More than half of the phones ReCellular receives are still functional, and can be refurbished and reused – often in developing countries. The United Nations ranks access to communications as the second-most important contributor to quality of life, after health-care.
• They contain valuable materials. Recycling phone circuit boards yields more gold per ton than the average ton of ore from gold mine operations, as well as other precious metals such as silver, platinum and palladium.
• They can be environmentally damaging. Like all rechargeable batteries, cell phones contain heavy metals and chemicals that can be toxic in landfills, and should always be recycled.
• They are of value. ReCellular offers businesses up to $150 per phone, and their charitable donate-a-phone programs raised more than $8 million per year for non-profit organizations.
• They’re serving no purpose in the drawer. Really, what are you keeping those phones for? Send them in.

For more information, or to download a prepaid shipping label to donate your phone, go to www.recellular.com.

• Employed 470 people at facilities in Michigan, Texas, Hong Kong, and Brazil
• Collected 4 million wireless phones for recycling or refurbishing
• Raised more than $8 million for charitable causes for 50 non-profit partners
• Diverted more than 1 million pounds of materials from landfills by recycling efforts

Cell phone collections:

For 2007, ReCellular acquired more than 4 million phones through corporate, charitable and grassroots collections programs. This amount of phones is the equivalent of:

• 6.8 million kilograms of carbon emissions: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, producing 4 million cell phones would consume enough energy to power 7,600 homes for a year, and produce more than 6.8 million kilograms of carbon emissions.

• A year’s supply of gasoline for 4,000 vehicles: According to The Use Less Stuff Report, each cell phone produced consumes materials and energy equivalent to .75 gallons of gasoline. Four million phones represents saving the equivalent of 3 million gallons of gasoline in materials and energy usage. That’s enough to fuel 4,000 vehicles for one year, each averaging 20 miles per gallon for 15,000 miles.

• $2.5 million worth of precious metals: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, each wireless phone circuit board contains $0.63 – not factoring the cost of recovery – of gold, platinum, silver, palladium and copper. Cell phone circuit boards yield more gold per ton (300 grams of gold per ton of circuit boards) than ore from gold mine operations (five grams of gold per ton of ore).

Charitable Fundraising:

The vast majority of phones ReCellular processes are collected with support from retailers, charity groups and grassroots organizations. These partners create a nationwide network of more than 40,000 sites that collect cell phones of every make, model and age – enabling consumers to recycle their old phones safely and conveniently.

ReCellular pays these organizations for each phone collected, with the proceeds benefiting more than 100 non-profit partners nationwide.

In 2007, ReCellular provided more than $8 million for charities, including:

• Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine® Phone Recycling: Through the funds raised from the sale of the refurbished phones, Verizon Wireless will purchase wireless phones and donate airtime to victims of domestic violence through human services and law enforcement agencies.

• Motorola Race to Recycle School Fundraiser: Motorola’s Race to Recycle provides school groups up to $21,000 per calendar year, by providing a flat fee for every intact phone donated.

• Cell Phones for Soldiers: Through generous donation and recycling used cell phones, Cell Phones for Soldiers has provided more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards to soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Environmental Efforts:

More than half of the 4 million phones ReCellular collected in 2007 were reconditioned and sold for reuse – considered to be the ultimate form of recycling.

The remaining phones were either obsolete or non-functional. These phones were dismantled and sent to recycling partners for reclamation.

In 2007, ReCellular recycled 1,011,001 pounds of materials, including:

• Plastic phone housings, containing mixed plastics: 32,110
• Complete handsets and circuit boards, containing precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium: 157,415
• Batteries, containing heavy metals such as nickel, iron, cadmium and lead: 203,819
• Chargers, containing copper wiring: 375,090
• Total pounds of phone components recycled: 768,434

In addition, ReCellular implemented a zero-waste policy to help limit ReCellular’s environmental footprint. All donated materials are recycled, including cardboard, paper and plastic shipping materials. These recycling efforts diverted an additional 242,667 pounds of materials from landfills.

Finally, in 2007, ReCellular increased the company’s green power renewable energy commitment. ReCellular purchased Green-e certified renewable-energy credits to offset 100 percent of the company’s total annual energy consumption.

ReCellular’s environmental initiatives are verified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2004 certification, a voluntary standard that facilitates improved environmental business management. The certification monitors not only ReCellular’s practices, but the practices of ReCellular’s recycling partners. These partners must submit to on-site audits by ReCellular to ensure environmentally sound processing, must commit to not send any scrap materials to landfills, and must commit to not deliver any scrap materials to developing countries for processing.

Environmental Partnerships

ReCellular has taken a leadership role in developing processes and procedures for recycling wireless materials. As such, ReCellular is represented in many organizations, including:

Michigan:

• Michigan Recycling Coalition
• Michigan Business Pollution Prevention Program
• Washtenaw County Pollution Prevention
• Washtenaw County Waste Knot Partner
• Washtenaw Community Partner for Clean Streams

National:

• Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
• National Recycling Coalition
• CTIA Wireless Association

Internationally:

• Asociación Hispanoamericana de Centros de Investigación y Empresas de Telecomunicaciones (AHCIET)
• Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI)
• International Association of Electronic Recyclers (IAER)

Angela Beaubien

Many of the phones sold this season will be replacements or upgrades for existing phones. ReCellular, the world’s foremost wireless recycler, estimates that recycling 50 million phones and accessories would reclaim:

A year’s supply of gasoline for 50,000 vehicles: According to The Use Less Stuff Report, reuse of cell phones would save the equivalent of 37.5 million gallons of gasoline. That’s enough to fuel 50,000 vehicles, averaging 20 mpg, to travel 15,000 miles per year.

$31.5 million worth of precious metals: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, each wireless phone circuit board contains $0.63 – not factoring the cost of recovery – of gold, platinum, silver, palladium and copper.

1,563 tons of copper: 50 million phone chargers, each five and half feet long, would stretch wrap the Earth’s equator, twice, and contain enough copper wiring to replace the Statue of Liberty’s copper shell, 50 times.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of phones retired this season will be stored in drawers – joining the estimated 500 million phones already waiting to be recycled or discarded. Be nice to the environment this holiday season and recycle your old cell phone.

Angela Beaubien

“The holiday season is an especially lonesome time for soldiers abroad, and for their families at home,” says Brittany Bergquist, Cell Phones for Soldiers co-founder. “We’re asking Americans to make a small sacrifice of support by donating their unused cell phones, to help provide soldiers with a much-needed connection to their loved ones for the holidays.”

Cell Phones for Soldiers is inviting Americans to show their support in one of three ways:

- Individuals are invited to donate their cell phones by downloading a prepaid shipping label from www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com, or to locate a local collection site in their area

- Existing collection sites are invited to download a Cell Phones for Soldiers sign from www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com, for display in their business

- Businesses and grassroots organizations are invited to start their own collection drive, and can visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com for collection tips, and instructions for prepaid shipping of collected phones

Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

“We have been overwhelmed by the generous support of thousands of Americans who have helped our troops speak with their loved ones,” says the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist. “However the need for support keeps growing as more soldiers are sent to the Middle East or are asked to serve extended tours of duty.”

Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones and prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.

Phones donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers are sent to Michigan-based ReCellular, which pays up to $50 for each donated phone – enough to provide twenty-five hours of calling cards to soldiers abroad.

Approximately half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and 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
• Plastic from phone cases and accessories

About Cell Phones for Soldiers:

Cell Phones for Soldiers was created by Brittany & Robbie Bergquist of Norwell MA. After reading a story about a soldier who ran up a huge phone bill calling home from Iraq, these two teenagers decided to help out. They started by opening an account with $21.00 of their own money. They are collecting cash donations and old cell phones. The cell phones are recycled for cash and the proceeds are used to buy prepaid calling cards for our soldiers serving in the Middle East. Cell Phones For Soldiers is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Their efforts have motivated people and businesses around the country to donate to this worthy cause. Their goal is to provide every US soldier with a way to call home for free. For more information, please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com

About ReCellular Inc.:

With offices in the United States, Hong Kong, and Brazil, ReCellular Inc. is the world’s foremost collector, reseller and recycler of used wireless phones and accessories. We provide solutions for the collection, reuse and recycling of used personal electronics that generate financial return for our partners, quality products for our customers, funding for charity organizations, and protection of the environment.

For America Recycles Day, November 15, please take a moment to think of ways to decrease your own landfill contributions.

The good news is recycling programs are working, with almost half of all paper products and aluminum cans reclaimed every year. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of technology products are reused. As an example, a meager two percent of the 130 million used cell phones replaced every year are recycled.

The cause, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, is that three-quarters of Americans are not aware of recycling options. In addition, the shrinking size and price of new wireless cell phones has created a misperception that they are a “disposable” technology.

As result, the vast majority of used cell phones are temporarily stashed in junk drawers and storage closets before ultimately being discarded – contributing a staggering 13,750 tons of unused cell phones to landfills every year.

Many of these cellular phones are still functional, and could be reused by other mobile phone subscribers. Those that aren’t functional contain valuable materials that can be reclaimed, reducing the need for new sources of gold, platinum, nickel and plastics.

To raise awareness for cell phone recycling, ReCellular, Sprint and Keep America Beautiful is holding a nationwide recycling campaign to “Wipe Out Wireless Waste.” Our goal is to collect and recycle 100,000 pounds of wireless cell phones, batteries and accessories.

Please help support our mission by donating your cell phones to a Keep America Beautiful affiliate in your community, or by downloading a prepaid mailing label at www.cellphoneroundup.com.

About half of the cell phones collected from this program will be refurbished and reused – the ultimate form of recycling. The remaining equipment will be smelted down at a facility regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency to reclaim valuable materials, including precious metals from circuit boards, heavy metals from batteries and plastic from cases and accessories.

Proceeds from the collections will benefit Keep America Beautiful affiliate programs across the US, including litter clean-ups on public lands and waterways, additional recycling events, tree and flower plantings, educational workshops, vacant lot restorations and a diversity of hands-on stewardship projects.

We believe that each of us holds an obligation to preserve and protect our environment. Through our everyday choices and actions, we collectively have a huge impact on our world. It’s really a simple concept, but one with far reaching effects.

So, please, answer the call to action on America Recycles Day and recycle your newspaper, aluminum cans, plastic containers … and your used cell phones.

Thank you,

Mike Newman

In honor of Homeless Youth Awareness Month, there will be a special Benefit Happy Hour & Cell Phone Vigil on Tuesday, November 13th to help raise awareness about youth homelessness. The event will start at 6:00PM at Goodnite Gracie located in downtown Royal Oak, MI at 224 South Sherman Avenue (view map). Proceeds from drink purchases will go the Detroit Chapter of STAND UP FOR KIDS.

There will be a Cell Phone Vigil later in the evening where participants can line up on Main Street in downtown Royal Oak just south of 11 Mile Road and raise their open/lit-up cell phones at exactly 7:13PM in recognition of the 13 homeless and runaway youth who lose their lives on our country’s streets everyday. The Cell Phone Vigil will be happening at the same time all across the country in other STAND UP FOR KIDS chapter cities. Both the Benefit Happy Hour & Cell Phone Vigil are part of the STAND UP FOR KIDS “Calling An End To Youth Homelessness” campaign where used cell phones and cell phone accessories are collected and sent to ReCellular to generate funds for the organization and relay the need the call an end to youth homelessness.

Used cell phone and cell phone accessories can be donated at Goodnite Gracie from 6:00PM until midnight during the event. The Cell Phone Vigil is open to anyone who wishes to participate. The Benefit Happy Hour is open to anyone age 21 or over.

For more information on this benefit or the “Calling an End to Youth Homelessness Campaign” contact Detroit@standupforkids.org.

As the leader in cell phone reuse and recycling, ReCellular feels it is our duty to reach out across the globe and bring our unique fundraising opportunities that have help build revenue for so many American charities, to Africa. Our charitable partners are Indiba-Africa Development Alliance, The African Wildlife Foundation and The Government of Rwanda.

Please help us support these great organizations. Your donation benefits our charitable partners in Africa in two ways. Some cell phones that meet the specific needs of each organization will be refurbished, cleared of personal data and donated directly to our charitable partners in Africa. To supplement the physical donation of refurbished phones, the majority of the phones will be refurbished and sold to generate financial revenue for the charities. This two-tiered donation system allows us to better meet the financial and technological needs of these organizations.

Visit www.lifelineforafrica.com to find out more!

Sundance Channel : : ECO BIZ: Chuck Newman runs a very profitable company that collects old cell phones, refurbishes them and resells those phones to third world countries.

Due to a brief lifespan of only eighteen months, an estimated 130 million cell phones are retired each year in the United States alone, with less than 2% recycled! Determined to reduce the amount of cell phone waste entering U.S. landfills, several state legislators produced bills that enforced cell phone collection systems.

In September 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the nation’s first cell phone recycling bill into California law. The bill, appropriately titled, the Cell Phone Recycling Act, requires all California cell phone retailers to have a system in place to collect retired cell phones for reuse, recycling, or environmental sound disposal. Retailers may not sell cell phones in the State of California unless they have complied with the law in its entirety.

In addition, the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) was required to report annually the cell phone recycling in California. In 2006, California residents recycled over 3 million phones. When factoring in the 17 million cell phones sold in the state, California had a 17% recycling rate for the year, 7% better than the national rate!

Shortly after the California bill passed, New York passed similar legislation that requires cell phone service providers to collect retired cell phones for recycling reuse, or environmentally sound disposal, at no cost to the consumer, beginning January 1, 2007.

And it doesn’t end there…Illinois and Maine has also passed legislation regarding cell phone recycling, and several states have legislation with a pending status. As more states jump on the legislation bandwagon, the intention is to increase the national recycling rate by strengthening take back solutions and building consumer awareness of cell phone recycling.

Brandi Farwig