The company “connecting people” in India – Nokia India has got new partners for its mobile waste management program. Nokia India has teamed up with Rotary Bangalore Midtown and Ahimsa Chennai for its Take-Back recycling programme.

Under the memorandum of understanding, ten thousand (10,000) saplings will be planted by Rotary Bangalore Midtown and Ahimsa Chennai, each in the next 12 months. The saplings will be planted in colleges affiliated to the Bangalore University and other educational institutions by the Rotary Bangalore Midtown, while the saplings, in the villages of Kalakattur, Kooram, Maruthuvanpadi, and Sankarapuram, all in the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, will be planted by Ahimsa Chennai. One thousand saplings have already been planted up to now.

Nokia Take-Back recycling program was launched across the cities of Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon and Ludhiana, in India, in January 2009. The program is committed to plant a tree sapling for every handset dropped, irrespective of brand or model, into one of Nokia’s recycling bins.     

The program has been getting great response. The Take-Back program has been running successfully in 85 countries in the world, and the program is successful in India as well. Nokia India reports that within the first 45 days of launch, the program collected over 3 tonnes of waste including 10,000 handsets. Nokia India says that the program will be launched in another 15 cities in phases in the next few months.

Ambrish Bakaya, director corporate affairs, Nokia India, says, “We believe recycling old products is a key part of this approach and we are fully committed to educating consumers on the need for responsible mobile waste management. Over the next few months, Nokia will extend the Take-Back program to other cities across the country and our partnership with Rotary and Ahimsa will further help us in supporting this cause.”

Under the Take-Back program, Nokia India has established a countrywide infrastructure with over 1,300 recycling bins installed at Nokia Priority Dealers and Nokia Care Centers. The company is encouraging proper management of waste by calling the mobile phone users to dispose their used handsets and accessories such as chargers and headsets, regardless of the brand, at any of these bins. Nokia India has also started a unique SMS campaign to inform customers about the nearest Nokia mobile waste collection points. The customers can get info by sending an SMS 'Green' to 55555 from their handsets 24x7. Nokia study has found that if every Nokia user in the world recycled just one unused phone at the end of its life, together it would save nearly 80,000 tonnes of raw materials.
    
"Global warming has brought ecological concerns to the forefront. As a responsible leader, we have taken a holistic approach to the environment and work with different stakeholders to drive environmentally sustainable initiatives. We believe recycling old products is a key part of this approach and we are fully committed to educating consumers on the need for responsible mobile waste management," Bakaya says.