Don't Throw Your Old Cell Phone Away - Now You Can PLANT IT

[matcom]

<snip>

FEELING guilty that you've just thrown away your umpteenth mobile phone to get the latest handset? Soon you may be able to plant your old one and watch it grow into a flower.

Engineers at the University of Warwick in central England said they had developed a mobile phone case or cover with a seed embedded inside that, when discarded, can be planted in compost where it will disintegrate.

The invention appears to have been a success, with prototype telephones sprouting dwarf sunflowers.

Mobile telephones are one of the most quickly discarded items of consumer electronics, the researchers noted.

"Rapid changes in technology and taste means customers constantly upgrade their phones leaving behind more and more discarded phones," they said.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11564372%255E13762,00.html

[WildClarySage]

1. Better yet, donate it to charity

Cell phones without service will usually still connect to 9-11, making them ideal for domestic violence shelters to hand out. Also, they can be collected and sold for re-furbishing, giving your favorite charity a little something in exchange for taking something off your hands that you didn't need anyway. Call and ask if they accept cell phone donations.

[VaYallaDawg]

3. YWCA does this in lots of areas. n/t

[MatrixEscape]

2. What about the

evironmental impact?

First off, I know for sure the batteries have some toxic chemicals so they should be removed, (and you would probably be told to before planting).

Second, there are various metals, etc. in the circuits and parts. Considering the volume of phones, that would also be a pollution issue.