Details
Join an exciting campaign to help save gorillas in the wild. By collecting old mobile phones for recycling, you can help protect gorilla habitat in Africa. Get started with three easy steps.
- Answer the call! Register your class, school, or organization to participate in the yearly Gorillas on the Line international cell phone recycling campaign. After registering you will receive an email with further details and tools to help with your campaign. Your group's campaign can be as simple as setting out a cardboard box in the hallway for collecting old devices or as involved as creating posters, running activities, and offering incentives to drive old phone donations. It's your choice.
- Recycle those phones! With your team collect as many phones for recycling as possible, February 1 - April 30. As the campaign ends, the Zoo will work with you to submit your phones to be officially tallied and then recycled. Totals for local campaigns and the grand total for the whole international effore will be announced on World Gorilla Day, September 24.
- Save Gorillas! Smartphones and other devices (e.g., mp3 players, phone chargers, and tablets) contain coltan, a mineral compound used to power small electronics. Coltan is mined all over the world, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where gorillas live. Mining for coltan and other minerals in this area can contribute to gorilla habitat destruction as well as to military and economic conflict. When we recycle our small electronic devices, we reduce the demand for conflict minerals, keep potentially harmful materials out of our landfills, and raise money for gorilla conservation.
NOTE: While all sorts of electronics contain coltan, for this campaign we are only collecting: cell phones, smart phones, iPads, iPods, tablets, apple watches, adapters, chargers, mp3 players, handheld gaming systems, and headphones.