Help save a gorilla in the wild! Bring us your old phones!
The Buffalo Zoo is revitalizing its cell phone recycling program and we need your help!
If you have old cell phones or their accessories (chargers, earbuds, adapters) or other small electronics like GPS, hand-held gaming systems, cameras, etc, recycle them with the Zoo instead of throwing them away. We accept anything smaller than a laptop at our cell phone recycling bin that’s found at our front gates.
This kind of electronics recycling helps wild gorillas in a big way! Coltan (columbite-tantalite) is a metallic ore mined primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is a major component of cell phones and other electronic devices. In recent times, the demand for new cell phones has increased, which means that mining in this area of Africa (home to many gorillas) has also increased causing vast amounts of habitat loss for wildlife.
Recycling your cell phone is also great for the environment! Did you know that electronic waste is three times the amount of other ordinary household waste? When you recycle your cell phone with the Buffalo Zoo we help to reduce that waste. Recycling your phone will help to keep toxic chemicals out of landfills and our waterways.
