Where mobile phones should go to die …
Would people be more careful about recycling their mobiles if it were not only convenient, but lucrative as well?
An EcoATM machine currently being trialed in Nebraska, accepts your used mobile, scans it to assess its market value and rewards you with a retail coupon or gift card.
The e-cycling station in the Nebraska Furniture Mart, Omaha, is a self-service station that gives an on-the-spot electronic assessment of a used phone handset.
If the phone has a real-time secondary market value, the consumer will receive an in-store payment in the form of a store gift card. The customer may also be offered the opportunity to donate the payment to charity.
If the handset has no market value, the consumer still has the option to recycle the unit.
In the future, the EcoATMs are expected to accept all manner of devices, including mobile phones, MP3 players, notebooks, printers and digital cameras.
EcoATM is a San Diego-based start-up company. It plans to launch additional eCycling Stations with several more national retailers over the next quarter in San Diego, Boston, Dallas, and Seattle.
In order to attract retailers, the company plans to offer the e-cycling stations for free and as the consumer is paid in in-store gift cards or reward dollars, the retailer will attract new customers with ready money.
