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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Thanks to St. Patrick High School's Interact Club, there's now a place for Yellowknifers' old cell phones besides the back of the closet.

The club, which is like a Rotary Club for youth, started a cell phone-recycling program early this year, arranging for six spots throughout the city for Yellowknifers to safely discard their old mobiles.

Aimee Gauthier, vice-president of St. Patrick's Interact Club, left, and Cameron Zubko, director of Ice Wireless, show some of the phones the store has collected at its drop-off point over the past month. The store is one of several drop-off points around the city for recycled cell phones. - Lauren McKeon/NNSL photo

So far, "I've probably seen at least 150," said Aimee Gauthier, the club's vice-president, who added she has a whole bag of cells she's collected in her room.

The club turns the discarded phones over to an organization in the south, to refurbish and give to those in need - such as groups in developing countries - and pays the club $1 for each cell phone.

"Almost everyone has an (old) cell phone. Some of these things are big and heavy - 1990s or earlier - some of them have big antennas sticking out of them," said Cameron Zubko, director of Ice Wireless, whose kiosk in Centre Square Mall acts as one of the drop-off zones.

"We all keep them for some reason, thinking someday there will be a use for them, but really the best use is in this program," he added.

Over the past month, Zubko has seen about 20 to 30 old cells dumped in his drop-off box.

"The idea is that people who don't want their cell phones anymore - they're old, they're dusty, they're used - they can go to Ice Wireless and drop off their used cell phone there," he said, adding the store would be glad to help anybody pick out a new phone to replace their relic.

Other drop-off zones include the Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op, Ecology North and Roy's Audiotronics.

Gauthier said the club is using the money from the program to purchase socks for homeless people in Yellowknife for the winter.

"We'll keep doing this as long as we get phones in," she said.

She added its been excellent getting involved and helping her community.