Every other year or so consumers flock to retailers for the next best thing in cell phone technology. Remember when the Motorola Razr put your old phone to shame? And now the Apple iPhone is all the craze.
But what about the out-of-date phones tucked away in the backs of closets and the bottoms of desk drawers?
Patti Snider of Patti’s Place Salon has the perfect solution for the electronic leftovers.
Patti is part of the Michigan Military Mothers organization. The local organization members regularly collect items from the community and create care packages for soldiers overseas.
Prepaid phone cards are a staple in the care packages but because of long distance charges users find even 1,000-minute cards don’t last long.
‘You think you buy a certain number of minutes,? Patti said, ‘but since we’re calling overseas companies can charge what equals up to 19 minutes per minute.?
To help ease the price of communicating across the world, Patti is collecting unwanted cell phones for a ‘recellular? recycling program. In exchange for the phones, a recycling center sends a box of 500 loaded phone cards.
The program accepts both working and nonworking phones. They’ll take accessories, too, like chargers, holsters, memory sticks, network cards and headsets, too.
Patti also invites community members to send her addresses of friends and family deployed overseas.
‘We’ll send them a package, too!? she said.
Patti’s Place Salon is located at 21 S. Broadway in Lake Orion and can be reached at 248-693-5888.