As technology advances some cellular phones are being replaced, and owners may wonder what to do with the old ones.

Monday, July 30, 2001

As technology advances some cellular phones are being replaced, and owners may wonder what to do with the old ones.

Now there is a new option.

Starting today, cell phone owners will be able to drop off old phones they no longer use at several locations in Lawrence County. They will be distributed to the Domestic Violence Shelter and the Task Force for Elderly Abuse.

The program, proposed by the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization, was approved by the Lawrence County Commissioners at Thursday’s meeting.

"This is something we ought to be doing," Doug Cade, CAO director of special projects, said at the meeting.

Due to upgrades, Cade said he and many other people have more than one cell phone.

The Domestic Violence Shelter and the Task Force for Elderly Abuse will decide what to do with the phones and will be responsible for reprogramming them, he said.

The phones will be programmed for 911 calls for clients of the two organizations.

The Domestic Violence Center already has received some donated phones from private citizens, director Ruth Delong said. The phones are loaned to women who might be stalked by an abuser or ones who are setting up a new residence and do not yet have phone service.

"For peace of mind and security, it’s just phenomenal," Delong said.

This new program is "absolutely wonderful," she said.

Problems may result, however, because some of the phones may not work in rural areas, Cade said.

The Recycling & Litter Prevention Program – administrated by the CAO and funded by the County Commission – will track the number of cell phones.

There should be no expense to operate this program, because the cell phone recycling will be part of the awareness program already operating, Cade said.

Drop-off sites are the Lawrence County Municipal Court, the Ironton, Kemp Street, South Point and Chesapeake Family Medical Centers and the Sybene and Ironton senior citizen centers. More sites will be added if necessary, Cade said.

More information about the program is available by contacting Diana Turley at 532-3534.