- AT&T and Assurant Protection have partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 75,000 trees in California’s wildfire-affected areas. The program works through a trade-in program for phones, tablets and devices during April.
- The campaign is part of AT&T’s broader disaster response efforts, including providing relief during the recent Los Angeles wildfires, which destroyed over 18,000 structures.
- AT&T has recycled over 55 million devices since 2009 and the initiative aims to raise awareness about e-waste recycling while helping to offset its environmental impact.
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AT&T and Assurant Protection are teaming up with the Arbor Day Foundation to support reforestation efforts in California. For the month of April, customers who trade in a phone, tablet or device online or at AT&T stores will help plant a tree at the Placerville Nursery, the state’s only Forest Service nursery and one of six nationwide.
How many trees does AT&T want to plant?
The campaign aims to plant 75,000 trees and later transplant them into forests and communities affected by recent Los Angeles wildfires.
Roman Smith, director of global environmental sustainability at AT&T, spoke with Straight Arrow News on Monday, April 7, about the initiative. He highlighted the ecological issue of dumped electronics.
“There are millions of devices just being discarded. It’s the largest solid waste stream we have,” Smith said.
The campaign is part of AT&T’s broader disaster response strategy. During recent wildfires, the company provided free Wi-Fi, charging stations and mobile connectivity for evacuees and contributed $2 million in relief donations.
The fires, which hit the Los Angeles and San Diego regions in January, killed at least 30 people, destroyed more than 18,000 structures and scorched over 57,000 acres.
In addition, AT&T kicked off its “Earth Month” commitment on Friday, April 4, by distributing over 250 trees in downtown Dallas.
How much e-waste do phones make?
People discard an estimated 400,000 cellphones daily in the U.S., totaling more than 150 million per year. Since 2009, AT&T has recycled 55 million devices, focusing on refurbishing newer models and extracting valuable materials.
“There are a lot of rare earth minerals in these devices,” Smith noted, referencing the environmental impact of electronic waste.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling 1 million cellphones can recover 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium.
Besides cutting back on waste, Smith said trees help people connect to the environmental cause.
“When you think about the environmental discussion and trying to get consumers to take action, they respond to trees,” Smith said.
In 2024, the same initiative led to planting over 50,000 trees in Oregon and Florida. AT&T and the Arbor Day Foundation have collaborated for 20 years, planting over 1.2 million trees. The Tree for a Trade-In campaign continues through April at all AT&T stores.