March 27, 2009, Toronto – April is Earth Month, and in celebration of the occasion,
Pizza Pizza is inviting customers to bring their old cell phone to their
local restaurant for a free slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza throughout the
month.
Proceeds from the recycling process are going to support
local food banks across the country. The initiative, Cells for Slices, has
collected close to 3,000 phones since it started five years ago. The company is
accepting cell phones at traditional restaurants, approximately 360 across the
country, and through its corporate offices in Toronto.
Old cell phones will yield more than just a slice of
pizza. In addition to the disposal of old, unused technology that may be
collecting dust around the house, the recycling effort translates into a
worthwhile donation to Food Banks Canada through the organization’s
‘Phones-for-Food’ program. The program sorts and sends old mobiles to a company
that refurbishes them and in turn sells the ‘recycled’ product back to
consumers. On average, a refurbished phone generates $2 to $5 for nourishing
those in need and has the added benefit of keeping mobiles out of landfills
where hazardous chemicals from the phones can seep into the environment.
“Recycling old cell phones, or whatever else we find
during spring cleaning, is another way for customers to show their commitment
to the environment and Earth Month,” says Pat Finelli, chief marketing officer
at Pizza Pizza. “Earth Month is a great opportunity to create and participate
in projects like the Phones-for-Food program that helps those in need and
encourages everyone to share the responsibility for a clean environment,” added Finelli.
In addition to creating environmental awareness, the
Earth Month campaign aims to inform and encourage the public regarding cell
phone recycling. The average North American gets a new cell phone every 18 to 24 months. This can expose our communities to waste that
should not get into the open environment. Such a high turnover of cell phones
means that everyone should be considering what happens to their old phones when
they fall out of use.
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