With advanced technology making cell phones a lot more efficient and cheaper than their predecessors, it is least surprising that the average lifespan of these devices has come down by a significant extent of late. Today, nothing gets obsolete as quickly as cell phones, with the leading manufacturers introducing new models one after another. So what do you do with your old cell phone when you opt for a new one? Simply dump it along with your garbage if it's too old, or throw it into the closet where it continues to collect dust for ages. While these are, no doubt, the easiest ways out, they are not the best options that you have at your disposal. There are much more convenient methods of disposing your old cell phone, which can make sure that you benefit from it. Get Rid of Your Old Cell Phones - Best Practices The foremost thing to do is to decide whether you just want to get rid of your cell phone, or dispose it once and for all. In order to get rid of it, you can just sell it off or give it to someone in need. On the other hand, if you intend to dispose it, one of the best measures is recycling. Sell/Exchange Old Cell Phone An old cell phone may not fetch you the amount of money that you paid to buy it, but it will surely fetch you a substantial part of the same. Several mobile stores give you the option of trading your old cell phone with a new one, wherein you get a significant discount on the new unit that you buy. Even if you don't want to buy a new unit, you can still get to sell it in return of cash―again not as much as you invested, but a significant amount. You can also sell it to repair shops, wherein they will disassemble the device, and use its parts in cell phone repairs. While the models become obsolete in a short span of time, their parts have a relatively longer lifespan, owing to which they can be used in new models as well. There also exist some websites which buy your cell phones and put them for further use. Donate Your Old Cell Phone Definitely the best option if you are not short on cash. There exist several charity organizations which will take your cell phone and either give it to the needy, or sell it and collect money for charity. One such charity organization is the 911 Cell Phone Bank, which collects old phones and gives it to people in need. Your phone can call 911 even when it is inactive; that's the principle which the 911 Cell Phone Bank follows. They provide free emergency cell phones to people who are in need including victims, crime witnesses, senior citizens, etc. You can also donate your cell phone to the schools. If nothing, they can at least sell them at charity events and earn some money for a cause. These charity organizations/schools are also able to earn a decent sum of money by selling these phones to recycling agencies. How to Dispose Broken Cell Phones? Even if you decide that you just want to dispose your old/broken cell phone, it's not as easy as you think. In fact, several jurisdictions have laws which prohibit dumping of cell phones and other such electronic goods, as they can pose a threat to the environment. Before lithium came into the picture, nickel cadmium was an important component of cell phone batteries. Being highly toxic in nature, it was considered a threat for the environment back then. Even though lithium is not as toxic as cadmium, it―along with various other parts of the handsets―does contribute to environmental pollution and therefore, it is wise to dispose your phone in a safe manner. The best bet in this case is to give your cell phone for recycling. Taking into consideration the importance of recycling, several service providers/manufacturers have come up with the novel practice of collecting old cell phones from their users and recycling or refurbishing them. Not just the handsets, but even the batteries and chargers can be recycled. You don't even need to pay to get your cell phone recycled, as the charity organizations which collect and give them to recycling firms are paid by these firms. Even the U.S. Postal Service has introduced a Mail Back program wherein you can mail your old mobile handsets to recycling firms, without having to pay any postage charges. If you intend to avail this facility, you can collect free envelopes found in 1,500 Post Offices across the country. Many people are afraid of giving away their old cell phones, as they believe that the personal information on it can be used for unethical practices. If that's the reason, you should opt for disposable phones which don't store your personal information. Selling, donating, and recycling your cell phone is any time better than throwing it in the closet, wherein it will just collect dust, or throwing it out in the open, wherein it will pollute the environment.