/PRNewswire/ -- Today may be April Fool's Day, but recycling wireless phones is no joke to AT&T* and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). AT&T today announced its continued commitment to the EPA's Plug-In To eCycling National Cell Phone Recycling Week, which runs this year April 5-11. AT&T will promote the effort in stores, online, and through community recycling drives led by the AT&T Pioneers, a group of AT&T volunteers.

The EPA's project brings together leading cell phone manufacturers and service providers to encourage consumers to recycle used wireless devices, batteries, chargers and other accessories - and to reduce the amount of reusable materials in landfills, including e-waste. (More details are available at www.epa.gov/cellphones.)

AT&T continues to offer three simple ways to donate and recycle phones: Wireless customers of any carrier can drop off used cell phones and accessories at any of the 2,000-plus AT&T stores across the U.S.; they can go to www.att.com/recycle to download free shipping labels and mail them in for recycling or request that a free shipping envelope be mailed to them for recycling. Part of the proceeds from these efforts benefits Cell Phones for Soldiers (CPFS), a charity that recycles cell phones and uses the proceeds to buy free phone cards for troops overseas.

The customer-facing recycling efforts that AT&T offers through its stores, community drives and online tools have added volume to its broader corporate recycling work. AT&T also recycles wireless phones that are returned through other channels, sending phones at the end of their lifecycles to recycling plants. In 2009, AT&T collected more than 4.2 million cell phones and almost 1.8 million pounds of batteries and accessories, overall.

Encouraging cell phone recycling is one way AT&T is working to tackle environmental issues. Other initiatives include:

• AT&T recently challenged its customers to make the switch to paperless billing, and pledged to have a tree planted for every customer who makes the switch - up to a million customers by the end of 2010. If a million customers make the switch, this would save 400,000 pounds of paper, avoid 6 million pounds of greenhouse gases, and prevent 4 million gallons of wastewater from discharging into lakes, streams, and rivers in a year.**


• In March, AT&T announced its transition to smaller and more eco-friendly packaging for the wireless device chargers, cases, batteries and data cables it sells. This will save more than 200 tons of wasted plastic and paper in 2010, avoiding more than 1,100 cubic yards of landfill space - enough to house nearly 10 school buses - by the end of 2010. ***


• As announced previously, AT&T begins offering the AT&T ZERO Charger in its stores, nationwide this May. The charger does not waste power when left plugged in, and it improves charging efficiency when powering a device. Its interchangeable design allows customers to use the same charger for future handsets and will, over time, cut the number of chargers produced, thus reducing future landfill waste.


• In 2009, AT&T announced plans to invest up to $565 million as part of a long-term strategy to deploy more than 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles over a 10-year period. AT&T also works to enhance energy performance and reduce energy consumption and has begun to use alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power.

AT&T estimates it will collect roughly 14 million wireless devices for recycling by the end of 2011, which is the environmental equivalent of keeping more than 920 tons of primary materials and more than 13 tons of toxic waste out of landfills.****

For more information about AT&T's sustainability efforts, please visit www.att.com/sustainability or www.att.com/csr.

* AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

** Environmental equivalents provided paperless calculator available via www.payitgreen.org.

*** Environmental equivalents calculated based on information from earth911.com.

**** Environmental equivalents provided by ReCellular using the Electronic Environmental Benefits Calculator (EEBC), developed by The University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

About Plug-In To eCycling
Plug-In To eCycling with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a partnership with electronic manufacturers, retailers, and service providers to create, provide, and promote opportunities to donate or recycle "eCycle") used consumer electronics. Initiated in 2003, the Plug-In To eCycling program facilitates partnerships to increase recycling opportunities and empowers consumers with information about how to donate or safely recycle their old electronics, including televisions, computers, and cell phones. For additional information, please visit: www.epa.gov/plugin.

EPA's Plug-In To eCycling National Cell Phone Recycling Week April 5 through April 11, 2010
Plug-In To eCycling's National Cell Phone Recycling Week 2010 is a joint effort with leading cell phone manufacturers, service providers and retailers to increase the awareness and recycling rates for cell phones. Plug-In To eCycling encourages Americans nationwide to donate or recycle their unwanted cell phones during the week of April 5 through April 11, 2010. For additional information and to find cell phone recycling locations near you, please visit: www.epa.gov/cellphones.

AT&T Inc.

AT&T Inc.

More from AT&T Inc.