Phone Donations To Verizon Wireless HopeLine Program Increase By Double Digits In First Two Months Of 2009

LAS VEGAS, NV, and BASKING RIDGE, NJ — From CTIA WIRELESS 2009®, Verizon Wireless, the nation’s leading wireless service provider and one of the first to offer a consumer phone recycling program, said today it has seen a double-digit increase in phones collected through its exclusive HopeLine® phone recycling and refurbishing program since Jan. 1, compared to the first two months of 2008.

Late last year, Verizon Wireless gave consumers the option to download a postage-paid mailing label from its Web site (www.verizonwireless.com/hopelinemailinglabel), enabling them to send old wireless phones, batteries and accessories to HopeLine for recycling. The company also increased distribution of its HopeLine envelope, giving customers who purchase or upgrade phones online a quick and easy option to recycle their old phones as soon as the new one arrives. These efforts led to a 44 percent jump in mail-in donations in the first two months of this year.

More than 1 Million Phones Expected By Year End
Seven years after collecting its first wireless phone for recycling, HopeLine collected a total of 1.13 million old and no-longer-used wireless phones in 2008. Based on early 2009 numbers, the company projects it will collect more than 1 million phones for recycling and reuse for the third straight year.

Since 2001, consumers have been invited to Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide to donate their unused wireless phones, batteries and accessories. To date, the HopeLine program has collected more than 5.6 million phones and turned that into nearly $6.5 million in support for victims of domestic violence and the agencies that support them.

About HopeLine
HopeLine accepts wireless phones and accessories in any condition from any manufacturer for reuse and recycling. All phones donated to HopeLine that can be refurbished are sold for reuse and those that are not salvageable are recycled in an environmentally sound way under a zero landfill policy. Proceeds from HopeLine are used to provide wireless phones to survivors of domestic violence who are rebuilding their lives or cash grants to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention and awareness. For additional information about HopeLine, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 80 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.  

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