Recycle your phone and help those in need

Don’t let your old phone take up space in a drawer, or even worse, a landfill. You can recycle your phone, help the environment, and help others at the same time.

We collect and recycle old wireless phones and donate all proceeds to Phones for a Fresh Start, a community program that helps those fleeing domestic abuse and youth transitioning out of Ministry of Social Services care.

Drop off your old phone

Recycling your old phone, batteries, and accessories is easy! Just drop it off at one of our collection bins at SaskTel Stores and participating dealers.

Before you drop your phone off, be sure to deactivate it and remove all your personal info like contacts, phone numbers, photos, and SIM cards. Once donated, it can’t be reclaimed.

You can also ship your phone to us free of charge through Canada Post using the Return ID Number PR713389. Visit canadapost.ca to print your return label.

Helping the environment together

Did you know you can recycle 96% of the materials in an average wireless phone? Yet only about 10% of wireless phones are recycled in Saskatchewan. This contributes to the 20 to 30 million metric tonnes of e-waste around the world each year!

We ship the old phones to EDI Inc., an Ontario hardware technology company that gives new life to used phones.

Every phone recycled, is one less phone in the landfill.

A fresh start for people fleeing domestic abuse

While Phones for a Fresh Start is committed to minimizing our province’s environmental footprint, the program is also about helping others in our community.

In partnership with the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services Saskatchewan (PATHS), all proceeds from the recycling process have been used to buy and donate $127,400 in prepaid phone cards and nearly 5,400 wireless phones for distribution at over 20 PATHS member agencies across the province.

Many people in shelters have left their abusive home without a phone. A wireless phone helps them to stay in contact with family and friends, look for jobs or a new home, and most of all, provides them with the comfort of having a phone in hand for safety’s sake.

A fresh start for youth aging out of foster care

In 2021, SaskTel announced the expansion of the Phones for a Fresh Start program to include youth transitioning out of permanent or long-term care from the Ministry of Social Services. Cell phones and phone cards are provided to youth to help in their transition to independence.