China is one of the worst countries in the world for cell phone recycling, according to a new report from the Beijing Morning Post. Less than one per cent of old cell phones are recycled in the country according to the newspaper, despite the average Chinese citizen changing their cell phone once every 15 months.

The primary authorized retailer of cell phones on the internet, Wirefly, is calling on customers to support Earth Day by handing in their old cell phones and other unwanted electronic gadgets for recycling. Those who do hand over their used cell phones and other forms of electrical waste to the company for recycling will receive either cash or a donation to any of more than a dozen eligible charities (such as the American Red Cross and the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation) as a reward for their environmentally responsible behavior.

Canadians are being called upon to donate their old cell phones for recycling as part of Earth Week 2011. The campaign is being spearheaded by the country’s cell phone recycling program, Recycle My Cell, which is available to all citizens completely free of charge. Recycle My Cell has a website available in two languages – English at RecycleMyCell.ca and French at recyclemoncell.ca – where customers can find the drop off location nearest to them just by entering their zip code. If they are for some reason unable to reach one of the 3500 drop-off points located across the country, the site also offers printable postage paid labels, to allow people to mail their used cell phones in to be recycled instead.

Big Key Self Storage, which is located in Miami in the United States, has signed up to become a part of the Cell Phones for Soldiers scheme. The Cell Phones for Soldiers scheme turns old cell phones into pre-paid cards for soldiers who are serving overseas, enabling them to have communication with their loved ones back home. Big Key Self Storage will accept almost any and all forms of electronic waste, including cassette recorders, typewriters, computers, CDs and DVDs, pagers, fax machines and various other electrical items, although only used cell phones will be able to help the soldiers and they are not currently accepting televisions.

Schools are not exactly known for encouraging students to bring their cell phones to class, but that may be about to change if a new scheme in the United States takes off. The Coweta County Board of Education is looking over a new proposal that allows students to use their cell phones in schools under supervision, for the simple reason that the technology allows for a lot more than just making calls unlike old cell phones just ten years ago.

Newport Computers in Rochester in the United States is staging an event designed to allow people to hand in their old cell phones and other electrical items to be recycled in honor of the upcoming annual Earth Day. Items such as used cell phones, computers, video games, digital cameras and MP3 players, which would normally cost around ten dollars to dispose of at the local landfill, can be handed in for recycling free of charge from ten o’clock in the morning on Wednesday up until four o’clock in the afternoon on Friday.