How many of you have old, discarded cell phones lying around the house? In this age of technology cell phone providers are practically giving away phones, so it really makes no sense to hold on to your old phone for longer than your contract period.

Of course, there is a downside. The earth. With throw away techonolgy our landfills are bursting at the seams and high tech materials are not biodegradable or environmentally friendly.

So, if you care about the earth, wouldn’t you jump at the chance to recycle your old phones and help our troops at the same time?

Yesterday in USA Today, I read an article about a company called Cell Phone for Soldiers. This company sells old cell phones to a recycler for about $5 each and uses the proceeds to buy prepaid phone cards to send to the troops overseas.

Cell Phones for Soldiers is the brainchild of two teenagers from Massachusetts, Brittany and Robbie Bergquist. It all started in 2004 when they read a story about a serviceman that racked up a $7,600 phone bill when calling home from Iraq. The inequity of leaving your family behind to serve the country and then having to pay such high rates to keep in touch struck a chord with the Bergquists. Cell Phones for Soldiers was created to help troops keep in touch ease the financial burden of calling home.

The busy high school junior and sophmore continue to run the company from their home and to date have provided soliers with over $1.4 million in minutes - approximately 400,000 phone cards.

It makes a mother’s heart proud! And what a difference they are making.

You can join the effort and donate your old cell phones. The Cell Phones for Soldiers website has a list of drop off sites and a downloadable postage paid shipping label. Their mailing address is:

Cell Phones for Soldiers
c/o ReCellular
2555 Bishop Circle West
Dexter, MI 48130

1-800-426-1031

There is even a link to an application called Cell Phone Data Eraser that can help you to erase all personal information off your old phone.

You, too, can make a difference.

If you have other gadgets to dispose of, read how you can recycle computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and more for cash.