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Cell phones
📍
In Calgary, put this in the
Drop-off / depot
Recycle phones at an electronics drop-off or retailer take-back program.
Also searched as: phone, smartphone, mobile phone.
Why it can’t go in a cart
A phone is a dense package of recoverable gold, copper, cobalt and rare-earth metals wrapped around a lithium battery — exactly the combination that makes it both valuable to recycle and dangerous to landfill.
Get it right
- Factory-reset the phone and remove the SIM (and SD card) before handing it over.
- Carrier stores and electronics retailers take old phones free; so do the Eco Centres.
- Working phones hold real trade-in or donation value — several charities refurbish them for people in need.
- Never bin a phone with a swollen battery — take it straight to a hazardous-waste or electronics depot.
Related items
Know your pickup days too
Look up your black, blue and green cart collection schedule by address.
Find my collection day