Don't mistake me, I'm not promoting Verizon as a charitable organization, but they DO have a box in every store to donate your old phones to battered women's shelters.

The idea is that they give the phones to women at risk and when the women decide enough is enough they can use the phones to call for help.

Over the past 10 years I've probably put 8 or 9 phones in that box (there are 4 phones on my plan).

But you're right, American culture is that once there's something shinier, what you have goes in the trash.