WHY RECYCLING MATTERS

Why are mobile phones worth recycling?

Right now, there are over 22 million unwanted mobile phones hiding in drawers, cupboards and garages across Australia. That's the equivalent of 2,200 tonnes of metal, minerals, plastic and glass - things that the planet desperately needs us to recycle.

That's where MobileMuster comes in. As the official product stewardship program for the mobile industry, our mission is simple: Keep mobile phones out of landfill. By recycling your mobile, you're avoiding future greenhouse gas emissions, saving energy, protecting the environment and conserving scarce natural resources. You're also preventing potentially hazardous materials from entering the environment.

What's in old mobile phone handsets?

Did you know…

• Over 90% of the materials used in mobiles and accessories can be recovered.
• These materials can be used to make everything from stainless steel to plastic fence posts.
• Mobiles should never be thrown out. They're not biodegradable, and they contain some materials that can potentially harm the environment if not handled correctly at the end of a phone's useful life.
• Recycling 50,000 handsets can remove the need to mine 110 tonnes gold ore, 213 tonnes of silver bearing ore or 11 tonnes of copper sulphide ore. Pretty precious stuff.
• For every tonne of mobile phone materials recovered 10 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions are avoided.

Australia. A big country, a whole lot of mobiles.

There are 29 million mobile phone subscribers in Australia. About 9 million new handsets are shipped here every year, and most Australians upgrade their handset every 18-24 months.

But while some old handsets are passed on to family or friends, over 50% are kept in storage unused and unwanted. This means there are a lot of materials available that could be recovered simply through recycling.

The good news? It's easy to do the right thing. All you have to do is recycle your old mobiles and accessories with MobileMuster, and encourage others to do the same.

The impact of mobiles on the planet

Mobiles are made from many non-renewable materials which have been extracted from the earth - such as metals, plastics, glass and ceramics. These are precious resources that only exist in finite quantities so it's important to conserve them, and limit further use.

How can we achieve this? Well, it's pretty simple. Instead of leaving old mobiles to rattle around in drawers and cupboards, we need to recycle them.

When you recycle your old mobiles and accesories with MobileMuster you'll be: