A new call to an old cell phone from a Panama watershed

By Margot Thomas

WHERE do old cellphones go when they are no longer your new proud acquisition – or breath of life – depending on the depth of your addiction? The trash can leading to the landfill equivalent of the elephant’s grave yard is not the answer as that will contribute to further environmental pollution. But how about using your discard to  plant a tree  and help to save a Panama watershed ?

Foundation Telefonica and Natura, and recycling company Renuevo Panama are driving a project “The Earth is calling you, answer!” seeking to rescue the watershed of the Santa Maria River in Veraguas.

They have placed collection  boxes at  Movistar outlets across the country, where you can deposit the telephones and its accessories, regardless of the brand, model, condition or service provider.

The devices collected are taken to a Panama renewal  center  where they go through processes of classification and refinement before being exported to countries in Europe and Asia for further rehabilitation.

Natura Foundation, has committed to planting  a tree for each cell received to help  recover the Veraguas basin.

Oscar Romero, director of   Renuevo Panama, says that every ton of old cells has an approximate value of  $500 hundred to $5,000 depending on the size and weight of the equipment, which helps support  the alliance and maintenance expenses involved in the alliance.

Natani Fernandez, an expert in corporate responsibility and volunteerism in Telefonica Moviles Panama, says that to date they have managed to recycle about 54,000 which represents some 281 tons of electronic material diverted from landfill. So if you have an old phone sitting in a draw, answer the call: The earth is calling you.

With this, 37.5 hectares have been reforested; resulting in about 54 thousand trees replanted in the upper reaches of the watershed, says Natura Foundation, executive director Rosa Montañez..