THE Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) recently conferred its Earth Friendly Award 2009 on Digicel on occasion of its fifth public lecture for outstanding contribution to protecting Jamaica’s environment in the interest of sustainable development.

“The EFJ supports both child and environmental projects and Digicel’s ‘Help a child, Recycle your old phone’ campaign was the ideal choice for our Earth Friendly Award,” commended programme manager at the EFJ, Karen McDonald-Gayle.

The telecoms giant launched the recycling project in August this year and to date, almost 30,000 handsets and accessories have been collected via bins at each Digicel dealer and internal collection drives, shipped to Europe where they will be reconditioned and sold in those markets. Collection points were set up at Digicel dealers islandwide.

Proceeds from the sale will then be donated to the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Orphaned and Vulnerable Children.

Upon receipt of the award, Jacqueline Burrell-Clarke, corporate affairs manager at Digicel, said: “We are truly honoured by this recognition from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica. When we decided to embark on this initiative, we were driven by two simple objectives. One: to provide a safe way to recycle unwanted handsets, and two: to assist a charity with the funds we raise from these recycled handsets and accessories.

“The campaign encourages mobile users across Jamaica to think and live green by providing an environmentallyfriendly way of disposing of their old or unwanted cellphones and cellphone batteries, whilst contributing to a better life for some of society’s most vulnerable. I urge all Jamaicans to root out their old handsets and recycle them so that we can help make a difference in the lives of these children”, said Burrell-Clarke.