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SaskTel launches Phones for a Fresh Start recycling drive as program hits new milestone

SaskTel launches Phones for a Fresh Start recycling drive as program hits new milestone

October 16, 2017

SaskTel is excited to announce that its Phones for a Fresh Start program has collected over 100,000 cellular devices since its launch in June 2009. Working with the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services Saskatchewan (PATHS), Phones for a Fresh Start has used its recycling proceeds to purchase and donate over $70,000 in prepaid phone cards and 2,610 cellular devices for use by the 21 PATHS shelter agencies located throughout the province. To help celebrate the program’s achievement, SaskTel will be launching its first ever Phones for a Fresh Start cellular device recycling drive on October 17, 2017

“Given the wonderful benefits for both PATHS and our environment, I’m pleased that SaskTel is working to make sure cellular devices and accessories are disposed of properly and the proceeds from the program are returning benefits to the community,” said the Honourable Joe Hargrave, Minister Responsible for SaskTel. “With Saskatchewan people being who they are, I’m optimistic that they will rally behind SaskTel’s push to recycle cellular devices that aren’t being used.”

“It really is an amazing program,” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel’s Acting President and Chief Executive Officer. “Phones for a Fresh Start is having a direct impact on PATHS ability to help women fleeing domestic violence rebuild their lives, and we’re glad we have the opportunity to make the transition these women face a little bit easier”

“The cellphones and phone cards from the Phones for a Fresh Start program have made a huge difference in the lives of so many women who have experienced intimate partner violence,” said Jo-Anne Dusel, PATHS’ Executive Director. “They are valuable first and foremost for safety, but they do so much more than that for the women that receive them. It is their lifeline to friends and family, it allows them to look for housing or jobs, and it allows the shelter and outreach staff to follow up with women for ongoing support and to check on their safety.”

Beginning on October 17, SaskTel is welcoming everyone in Saskatchewan to bring in their old cellular devices and drop them off at a Phones for a Fresh Start bin located in each SaskTel Store and participating Authorized Dealers.

“As fantastic as this milestone is we know there are still a lot more phones out there,” said Burnett. “I think that together with Saskatchewan’s help we have a chance to make an even bigger impact by increasing the number of cellphones we collect and helping PATHS even more.”

Industry research shows that there could be as many as 690,000 cellular devices stored in Saskatchewan homes, yet only 10 per cent are recycled in the province each year. As cellular devices are more than 96 per cent recyclable, SaskTel’s Phones for a Fresh Start is working to divert as many from the landfill as it possibly can.

As part of the launch of the cellular device recycling drive, there will be a photo opportunity and a SaskTel spokesperson will be available for media interviews on October 17, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at SaskTel’s Cornwall Centre retail store in Regina.

About SaskTel

SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with over $1.2 billion in annual revenue and approximately 1.4 million customer connections including 617,000 wireless accesses, 374,500 wireline network accesses, 276,000 Internet accesses and 108,500 maxTV™ subscribers. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries offer a wide range of ICT products and services including competitive voice, data and Internet services, wireless data services, maxTV services, data centre services, cloud-based services, security monitoring services, advertising services, and international software and consulting services. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 4,000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

For more information, please contact:
Tim Jones, SaskTel Manager of External Communications
Phone: 306.777.4548
E-mail: timothy.jones@sasktel.com