MobileMuster, the federal government accredited product stewardship program of Australia’s mobile telecommunications industry, is pleased to present its 2022-23 annual report, which can be downloaded here.
MobileMuster is managed by AMTA, the peak national body representing Australia’s mobile telecommunications industry. The 25-year-old voluntary product stewardship scheme is funded by major handset manufacturers and network carriers to provide a free mobile phone recycling program to the highest environmental standard. The carbon neutral program plays an active role in shaping Australia’s environmental responsibility for the whole-of-life impact of mobile phones and components and continues to advocate industry leadership in tackling climate change and driving circularity.
The program is accredited under the Australian government’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, which stipulates annual key performance indicators related to the volume of mobile phones and accessories collected (tonnes), annual collection rate, landfill diversion rate, recycling rate, and program accessibility.
MobileMuster’s FY23 performance against these performance indicators is detailed in our annual report, including:
This year, MobileMuster completed a rigorous process with our external auditor, RSM, to ensure our reporting is accurate and consistent with standards. Please note that the calculation methodology and underlying source data used to measure performance for the annual collections rate for available phones (%), diversion from landfill (%) and recycling rate (%) were revised during the current year to reflect a more accurate and conservative measure. This has contributed to significant movement compared to previous year results and performance targets set under the Product Stewardship Accreditation Scheme. The details of the calculations are included in the report’s appendix.
Additionally, MobileMuster continues to be well subscribed and supported by the industry, with more than 96% of manufacturers and 94% of carriers participating in the program. This has allowed the scheme to maintain high collection rates and an accessible network where 94% of the Australian population are within 10km of a drop-off site. We also complement and support this network with our free post-back satchels and labels.
FY23 also represented our first full year of collecting expanded products. MobileMuster collected 43.5 tonnes of products including home modems/routers, small streaming devices, landline phones, small smart speakers, hubs, wearables, and activity trackers. Note that expanded products are not currently covered under the government accreditation and hence there are no defined performance targets.
MobileMuster recognises the federal government’s commitment to building an improved Australian circular economy and congratulates environment ministers for taking positive steps towards sustainable material management with the ongoing “Wired for Change” E-stewardship consultation and the Consultation on National framework for recycled content traceability. AMTA and MobileMuster have continued to advocate on behalf of our members with responses and plan to continue collaborating with the Department.
We look forward to continuing our work as we focus on improving and elevating the program in years to come.