Leading mobile phone maker Nokia today unveiled its 'take-back' campaign in the city on the occasion of World Environement Day, whereby the company would plant a sapling for every used mobile customers deposit at recyling bins in its outlets.
"Used phones from these centres are collected and sent to the Material Centre in Delhi, from where it is transferred to London for recycling," Nokia India (Corporate Affairs) Director Ambrish Bakaya told reporters here.
Stating that 80 per cent of a used phone, including the headsets, chargers and other accessories could be recycled, he said the campaign here followed a pilot study in Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon and Ludhiana early this year, which received tremendous response from the public. "A total of three tonnes of waste, including 10,000 handsets, were collected within the first 45 days of the launch," he said.
Nokia has organised the campaign in 80 nations as part of efforts to make the environment cleaner and greener, he said.
Bakaya said Nokia has signed agreements with city based NGO Ahimsa and Rotary Bangalore Midtown to plant saplings in Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu and in Bangalore.
"While 12,000 saplings will be planted in four villages in Kancheepuram district, another 12,500 saplings would be planted in educational institutions in Bangalore", he said.
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To a query, he said the company would go in for more such tie-ups, if required.
Noted danseuse Shobana, who dropped her used mobile in a recycle bin, lauded the initiative, saying everybody in the world has the responsibility to make the Earth a much better place to live in.
"This iniative will go a long way in serving this purpose," she said.
Bakaya later said that any customer who wants to drop the phone in a recycle bin could SMS 'Green' followed by the area pincode to the number '55555', which would then inform them about where the nearest Nokia outlet is situated.
From July, the campaign would be rolled out in Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Raipur, Ludhiana and Delhi, he added.