Cell phones are among the fastest growing streams of electronic waste . . . and the least recycled.

The wireless industry estimates the recycling rate of cell phones in Canada below 12 per cent, with most older, unused phones either collecting dust or being discarded in the trash. With an estimated 15 million wireless telephone subscribers in Canada alone, this represents a significant amount of pollution.

CellCycle, a Barrie-based organization committed to protecting the environment by recycling old cell phones, has installed a unit at the Barrie Campus. The unit is located on the first floor of the administrative building at Campus Connections. CellCycle will plant a tree for each cell phone collected at any one of its drop boxes located throughout the community.

Additional drop-off locations include Canadian Tire (320 Bayfield St. and 75 Mapleview Dr. W.) and several Zehrs grocery stores in Barrie. Other Georgian campuses are looking into the initiative as well.