Spring cleaning has Wilmington residents sorting and cleaning from the attic to the basement and, looking for the best way to dispose of unwanted items to reduce any negative impact on the environment. In honor of Earth Day on April 22, UScellular encourages people to trade in or recycle their old electronic devices to reduce their carbon footprint.

According to The Global E-waste Monitor 2024, from electronic waste like computers and devices has grown five times faster than compliant collection and recycling since 2010. In addition, when it comes to overall recycling, 79% of recyclable materials are lost before reaching the landfill.

"Spring cleaning is the perfect time for Wilmington residents to rethink how they dispose of unwanted items, especially when it comes to electronic waste,” said Jeremy Taylor, director of sales for UScellular in Eastern North Carolina. “UScellular encourages the community to trade in or recycle old devices to help reduce environmental impact and prevent valuable materials from being sent to a local waste disposal sites rather than reusing."

In 2024, UScellular accepted 206,000 devices through the company’s trade-in program, which diverted 92,700 pounds of e-waste from local landfills and avoided more than 260 million gallons of water pollution.

UScellular offers the following tips on how to utilize technology to improve your carbon footprint:

·        No More Wishcycling – Wishcycling is when we optimistically put non-recyclable objects into our recycling bins. If there is too much trash mixed into the recycling load, the entire load could end up in the landfill. Recyclenation.com provides users with directions to local recycling centers, a list of accepted recyclable materials, and hours of operations. The site also can show if materials, such as metal, construction materials and other large items, can be collected in your area.

·        Be a Hero for the Earth – The Earth Hero app offers users hundreds of ideas to live a more sustainable life to care for our planet. Users set climate pollution reduction targets, get personalized suggestions on how to reduce their carbon footprint and connect with others to drive change so climate actions have a multiplier effect.

·        Scan The Barcode – The Scrapp app lets users scan the barcode of an item wanting to be recycled to learn about the disposal options, according to your local disposal rules.

·        Stop Junk Mail – The PaperKarma app can help cut junk mail clutter to help save trees. This app allows users to opt out of mailers that include catalogs, donation requests, and former resident’s mailers.