Good Call – Guelph Tool Library

Update (February 2023): The Good Call program is currently on hiatus, however cell phones can still be dropped off at the Guelph Tool Library, where they will be collected for the Toronto Zoo Phone Apes recycling program.

Guelph Tool Library helps Guelphites stay connected with cell phone collection program
The 2021 Good Call program has wrapped up for the year. After 5 months, and mostly when Guelph was locked down, we collected 450 phones! Over 100 phones have been repaired and sent to our community partner, Guelph Community Health Centre, to be distributed with phone plans to people in need. The other 350 phones went to the Toronto Zoo’s Phone Apes program for recycling.

Thank you to our members and the community for donating their phones. Thanks to the volunteer cell phone fixers who made sure the phones were working. Thanks to the volunteer drivers who picked up phones. Finally, thanks to all the locations that collected phones for us (see below)

Home Group Realty – 5 Edinburgh Road South,
Original Home Furniture (Woodlawn Plaza corner of Woodlawn & Silvercreek)
Meridian Credit Union – 200 Speedvale Ave W
Meridian Credit Union – 370 Stone Rd W
Planet Bean Downtown – 2 Wyndham St N
North End Harvest Market (Waverly Neighbourhood Group) – 140 Waverley Dr
Hope House – 10 Cork St E
Main Branch Guelph Public Library – 100 Norfolk St

Good Call will be back next year, keep an eye out for announcements on our social media and newsletters for when we start our next phone collection drive.

** Cell phones can still be dropped off at the Guelph Tool Library for recycling only**

The program aims to collect 2000 used cell phones for refurbishment and recycling, and refurbished phones will be distributed to individuals in need via community partners.

The Guelph Tool Library is pleased to be bringing back the Good Call Program for 2021. In partnership with the Guelph Community Health Centres’ Get Connected Program, we hope to collect 2000 second hand phones and redirect 200 of them back to the community. We are working with the GCHC, Chalmers Community Service Centre, Guelph Wellington Women in Crisis and Family Counselling and Support Services of Guelph Wellington to distribute the phones.

Broken and older cell phones will go to the Toronto Zoo for recycling through their Phone Apes Recycling Program. The Toronto Zoo recycles cell phones as it helps to protect habitat for Lowland Gorillas. The mineral coltan, which is processed to tantalum, is a vital element in almost all cell phones and the mining of coltan puts pressure on the gorillas’ habitat. By recycling old cell phones, tantalum can be reused; lessening the demand to mine pure coltan.

Newer, working cell phones will be serviced by Repair Cafe Guelph volunteers. The Guelph Tool Library will not be directly dispensing any of the phones once repaired, and are teaming up with local organizations to handle distribution. Chalmers Community Services Centre and Lakeside Hope House have offered to issue phones to those that are in need once they become available. The collection and repair process will take a few months, with the program running in to the spring of 2021.

Coordinator John Dennis writes, “Now, more than ever it is important for everyone to have access to a cell phone. So many appointments and opportunities are only offered virtually, and without that connection, people will miss out on vital support services and social inclusion”

Those interested in volunteering can sign up for an online course that will cover different aspects of cell phone repair. Volunteers will be loaned the appropriate tools for fixing, and will learn how to diagnose problems, assess what parts are needed, and make repairs to screens and other electronic components.

Before donating your mobile devices please ensure that the account for the device has been fully paid and service has been deactivated. Also remove the SIM card, if there is one, and clear off all personal information. Recycle My Cell is a great site with instructions on how to wipe your device.

John Dennis
info@guelphtoollibrary.org

** About the program **

Newer, working cell phones will be serviced and distributed by Repair Cafe Guelph volunteers and given to those that are in need of new cell phones. Chalmers Community Services Centre and Lakeside Hope House have offered to redistribute phones once they become available.

**What to do before donating your Cellphone**

** Please Unlock Your Cellphone Before Donating It (If Possible) **

(Information below comes from https://www.whistleout.ca/)

What is Unlocking?

Cellular phones are expensive technology. To help make them more affordable to new customers carriers like Bell, Rogers and Telus would commonly offset the cost by locking a phone to their network. Unlocking a wireless device lets your phone work on any network that has compatible technology.

How Much Does It Cost?

Unlocking your Canadian cell phone is free. In June 2017, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) updated the Wireless Code of Conduct to address a number of common consumer complaints. One of them was the cost to unlock a phone, even after a customer has fully paid for the device. The government agency established that all wireless carriers must follow these rules:

All wireless devices sold after December 1, 2017, must be unlocked or sold with instructions on how to unlock the device at no additional cost.
All wireless devices that are locked to a carrier must be unlocked upon request at no cost to the consumer.
Unlocking must be completed even if the consumer is still on contract or device has not been paid in full.

Can My Carrier Refuse to Unlock?

There are some circumstances where a carrier may refuse to unlock a device, but this usually has to do with stolen phones or unpaid bills. If your phone has never been reported stolen and your account is in good standing there should be no issues having your wireless device unlocked.

Is My Smartphone Locked?

One way to tell if your device is unlocked is to take out your carrier’s SIM card and swap in one from another cell phone carrier. When you boot up your phone, it will ask for an unlock code. Contact the carrier who sold you the device to find the code.

How Do I Unlock My Phone For Free?

You will need the following:

Your phone’s IMEI number (not necessary for iPhones): This is your phone’s unique identity, like a fingerprint. Some phones have it as a 15-digit number on a sticker on the back. You can also find it by typing *#06# into your phone’s dialer, or find it in the About Phone section of your phone’s settings.
A SIM card from another carrier: A SIM card is how your device communicates with your wireless provider. Be aware that Rogers is the same network carrier as Fido, Bell is the same as Virgin Mobile, and Telus is the same carrier as Koodo. If you swap out one SIM for another that uses the same network then you may not get the unlock code request. However, you can switch to these other carriers without the need to unlock your phone. If you don’t have a SIM card for your iPhone, you can connect your phone to iTunes, erase and restore it for your phone to unlock. Back up your data before you erase your iPhone.
APN settings: This is the network configuration that allows your smartphone to access the data network. Many phones have these built-in for when you switch, but some may need to be added manually. You can search for them online, or ask your new wireless carrier to help with configuration. Note that iPhone unlocking is completed by Apple. Once your carrier has confirmed that they will unlock your iPhone there may be a delay as Apple processes the request. This could take a few hours or a few days.
Your carrier can update you on the status while you wait. Back up your iPhone data. The next step may require you to erase your iPhone and run the setup process.

This is a lot of tech to understand, but you’re not alone. Your best option is to simply call your cell phone carrier for help or walk into a store and ask them to do the work for you. Your carrier may also require the:

Name of the account holder
Account holder’s security password
Phone number currently assigned to the phone

Remember: Carriers cannot charge you to unlock your device. It’s your right, and it’s free.