NTT Docomo and am/pm Japan are going to start equipping Tokyo 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 the Pink Tentacle and MYCOM, Japan’s wireless providers have been recycling unwanted phones in their own stores since 1998. But that hasn’t been working as well lately:

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, which will initially be set up at eight convenience stores in central Tokyo.

Considering that there are many many millions of cellphones in circulation and that people only keep them for a few years, this seems to be a good idea. In 2005, NTT apparently harvested 37,993 kg (42 tons) of copper and 145 kg (320 pounds) of gold from the old phones. Hole not big enough to accommodate babies–old cellphones only. [EBT]