King County, Wash. is latest locale to ban cell phones and other electronic devices from trash pickup. But residents can trade old phones for cash

OCALA, Fla. (PRWEB) October 13, 2005 -- Effective Oct. 1, King County, Wash. no longer allows residents to put out old cell phones, or other electronic devices, for regular trash pickup. Officials say the county’s Cedar Hill Landfill could become contaminated by the toxic heavy metals that exist in cell phones, computers and other electronic items.

But the ban could actually turn out to be an opportunity to make some extra cash for King County residents, if they find their way to www.CellForCash.com – the web site would like to pay King County residents in cash for the old cell phones that they want to get rid of.

King County started a recycling program, called the Take It Back Network, in 2000. Under the program, county officials developed arrangements with recyclers who agreed to take cell phones, computers and other electronic gear, either for free or in exchange for a fee. But effective Oct. 1, the discarding of electronic items in regular trash pickups became illegal.

“What King County residents may not realize is that their old cell phones may have significant cash value – anywhere from a few dollars to well over $100 per phone,” said James Mosieur, chief executive officer of RMS Communications Group Inc., the parent company of www.CellForCash.com.

Programs banning electronic devices from regular trash pickups are becoming more common throughout the country, Mosieur said. The cash payments offered by www.cellForCash.com offer a significant alternative to simply handing over old cell phones to recyclers who don’t pay for the devices, he said.

CellForCash.com buys used cell phones and then re-markets them around the world. Phones that can’t be sold for any reason are used in the company’s 911 Cell Phone Bank program, which provides no-cost emergency cell phones to elderly and abused throughout the country, or are recycled in an environmentally sound fashion.

“We are proud to be an industry leader in the responsible recycling of old phones,” Mosieur said.

Besides www.CellForCash.com, RMS operates a number of other web sites. One, www.WirelessFundraiser.com, provides cash to non-profit organizations that collect and send in old cell phones. Another, www.RecycleForUS.com, is an environmental initiative that helps companies, government agencies and other groups and individuals collect and recycle old cell phones. A new website, www.911CellPhoneBank.com, donates about 1,000 cell phones every month to law enforcement and other agencies for use as 911 emergency phones.

About CellForCash.com
CellForCash.com pays cash for used cell phones, and makes the process simple by displaying the phones it will buy and the prices it will pay for them right on the web site. It also provides sellers with already-addressed, postage-paid mailing boxes. Its QuickShip option makes the process even faster. For more information visit the web site at www.CellForCash.com.

About RMS Communications Group Inc.
Based in Ocala, Fla., RMS Communications Group Inc. provides consumers and businesses a convenient way to get cash for cell phones that otherwise lay idle. Phones may qualify regardless of manufacturer – Motorola, Nokia, LG, etc.; or service provider - Sprint, Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, etc. The company often partners with non-profit organizations that find the collection and sale of old cell phones to be an excellent source of revenue. More information can be found at http://www.RMSComm.com.