The NMSU Las Cruces and DACC campuses are some of the first in the nation to participate in the 911 Cell Phone Bank recycling program. This program is designed to provide recycled cell phones to people for use in calling 911 during emergencies.
Please help by donating your old cell phones, chargers, and batteries. Phones collected are sent to a recycling center where they are reconditioned and tested. Phones in good condition are programmed for 911-only calling and sent back to NMSU to be issued to students, faculty, and staff in need. Phones not able to be reconditioned are sent for end-of-life recycling of individual components. If you are missing some components (like a charger or battery), you can still drop off what you have for recycling.
Phone drop-off locations include:
- NMSU Police Department – main lobby (west end of campus on College Drive)
- Hadley Hall – office of SVP Ben Woods (north wing, main floor)
- Corbett Center – ASNMSU student government office
Additional locations will be added in the coming weeks. If your office would like to serve as a drop-off location, please contact us at 646-4533 or police@nmsu.edu.
Within a few weeks of receiving donated used phones, the NMSU Police Department will be able to make them available to those in the community with a need. While they can’t be used for making regular calls, the 911-only phones still provide a lifeline to emergency services without any monthly charges. They are more practical than the old-fashioned “blue light” phones that require a person go to a specific location and stand in the open while calling for help, and they work equally well on and off campus.
If you are in need of a 911-only cell phone, you can register now for when phones become available. Just send an e-mail to police@nmsu.edu requesting to be added to the list. Please include your name, e-mail address, and a phone number where you can be reached.
Thank you for helping us help others and for recycling your old phones in an environmentally responsible manner.
Andrew Stephen
abowen@nmsu.edu
NMSU Chief of Police
New Mexico State University Police Department
PO BOX 30001 / MSC 3187
Las Cruces, NM 88003
(575) 646-3311 or 646-4533
