Recycled DoCoMo Phones
Docomo and am/pm have begun equipping convenience stores with cellphone recycling bins, so that people can recycle their unwanted handsets. The recycling bins handle all makes and models and are designed to prevent theft. According to this announcement there are currently eight trial locations in place with plans to expand nationwide depending on consumer adoption.
According to Pink Tentacle, via MYCOM:
In recent years, however, more and more customers are waiting to recycle their old handsets, as phones have grown more sophisticated and hold greater amounts of important data that users need to access after switching models. Most users eventually decide to dispose of their phones, though, so NTT is hoping they will make use of these recycling bins. In 2005, NTT apparently harvested 37,993 kg of copper and 145 kg of gold from old phones.