Celebrate Earth Day by Recycling Cell Phones.

Feature Editors/Business Editors/Environment Writers/High-Tech

Writers

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2004

Verizon Wireless Stores Collect and Recycle No-Longer-Used Cell Phones to Protect the Environment and Assist Domestic Violence Victims

Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless provider, encourages Texans to make a difference in honor of Earth Day by recycling used wireless phones. Verizon Wireless makes this effort simple for Texas residents with phone collection boxes at more than 100 retail locations across the state. Phones from any carrier, in any condition, will be accepted -- and donations are tax deductible. Last year, the company collected more than 900,000 wireless phones nationwide for recycling.

"Reducing the number of phones being dumped into Texas landfills has tremendous environmental benefits," said Jimmy Duvall, Verizon Wireless spokesperson. "We hope citizens will join us in this effort to preserve our natural resources here and around our planet."

Millions of wireless phones will be discarded in the United States this year alone as users buy new models. Most of these phones -- and their batteries, which may contain harmful components -- end up in landfills unless disposed of properly.

In addition to the environmental benefits, many of the collected phones will be refurbished and donated, along with free airtime and cash contributions, to domestic violence shelters and agencies in Florida through the Verizon Wireless Hopeline(SM) program.

Nationwide last year, phones donated for recycling helped Verizon Wireless provide more than $2.3 million in monetary and other contributions to domestic violence shelters and advocacy organizations. Initiatives in 2003 included educational programs, clothing, school supply and personal item drives, as well as the coordination of special programs -- including the production of an anti-dating-violence video for Spanish-speaking teens -- to help raise awareness of domestic violence.

"Recycling wireless phones benefits everyone," Duvall said. "It is the right thing to do during Earth Day celebrations and all year long."

As part of the effort to save the environment, Verizon Wireless also announced that the company's consolidated and online billing options will reduce the amount of paper used for customer bills by more than 550 million sheets per year, preserving more than 7,500 trees annually.

In addition, consolidated and online billing saves more than 3.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity and more than 165,000 pounds of ink each year.

For more details on recycling phones, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 37.5 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, N.J., Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE:VOD)(LSE:VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To receive broadcast-quality video footage of Verizon Wireless operations, log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/verizonwireless.

About HopeLine

The national HopeLine program distributes previously owned wireless phones to victims of domestic violence, supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy groups and provides an environmentally safe method of recycling phones. Donations are accepted at all 1,200-plus Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country. For additional information, customers can also visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.