Education

Running a MobileMuster at your school is free and easy. Simply follow these steps:

1. Register your school
2. Plan & Promote your MobileMuster
3. Arrange a Pick Up
4. Let us do the recycling
5. Celebrate your achievement

Use our resources to run a War on Mobile Phone Waste.

The War on Waste program inspires students to solve our waste problems. It looks at the growing problem of electronic waste and encourages Australians to clean out the bottom drawer and recycle their old phones.

After watching the War on Waste episode that looks at electronic waste use our Mobile Connections digital book to inspire students to tackle mobile phone waste in their community. The book uses the Sustainability Action Process to plan, execute and evaluate action for sustainability. It can be downloaded as an iBook or ePUB version.

Watch the War On Waste, Series 2, Episode 2 (iView)

Teachers should allocate several weeks to allow time for a thorough investigation of the issue and provide time for implementing the action throughout the term. If you would like to run a muster at your school complete our online registration form. We will send you a MobileMuster collection box and resources to help promote your War on Waste. Use the book or follow our guide below.

1. Make the case for change

Mobile phones are pretty incredible. They help you connect to people, places, information and goods and services across the globe. But what happens when they are upgraded or no longer work. These activities have been developed to explore the sustainability issue and cover step one in the sustainability action process. Students will access the current situation for mobile phone recycling in their school and community. They will investigate concepts and ideas relating to the issue and start thinking about what needs to change.

• Assess the current situation in the school by finding out if your school is currently part of the Mobile Muster schools program or if there are MobileMuster collection points in your local community. To search enter your local suburb in the MobileMuster locator.
• Investigating concepts and ideas relating to the sustainability issue. We have lots of resources to help you. View How phones are made – Oppo Factory Tour and complete the Complete the What’s In a Phone Quiz.

MobileMuster – What’s Inside Your Phone from MobileMuster on Vimeo.

• What can be done in your school and community? Conduct a survey on the number of mobile phones being stored in the school community. Ask participants why they are holding onto their old mobiles and what would motivate them to recycle.

2. What is the story behind my phone?

You are now ready to define the scope of action. After watching the War on Waste discuss why it is important to recycle electronic waste and what action can be taken. These activities cover step two in the sustainability action process. They identify ideas, consider the available resources and constraints and help students to select an idea for action. To help generate ideas watch the video MobileMuster: Extending the Life of Your Phone.

MobileMuster – Extending the Life of Your Phone from MobileMuster on Vimeo.

A Free Trip to Agbogbloshieby Dave Hakkens. Once you have watched the videos discuss the following:

• What you can do to extend the life of your phone? Consider repair, reuse and reselling options.
• Why do people in developing countries risk their health and pollute the environment to disassemble and reuse electronic waste?

Explore what happens when mobile phones are recycled through the MobileMuster program. Watch the video and identify three reasons why it is important to recycle responsibly through programs like MobileMuster.

MobileMuster – The Recycling Journey from MobileMuster on Vimeo.

Research information about the MobileMuster program, generate ideas and explore options for making a change. Answer the questions

• What are the steps in running a MobileMuster?
• What resources are available to us to start the program at school?
• What limitations or constraints may there be to running a MobileMuster in our school?
• If we didn’t run a muster how could we raise awareness or change behaviour? Consider an awareness or education campaign that you could develop.

Select an idea for action. As a class and considering your resources, time frames and ideas what type of action best meets your goal. Whether you create a recycling campaign, construct an awareness artwork or run a MobileMuster the options are endless.

3. Creating a sustainable mobile future.

The next step is to develop the proposal for action. By recycling your mobile, you’ll be avoiding future greenhouse gas emissions, saving energy, protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. You’re also preventing potentially hazardous materials from entering the environment.

These activities cover step three in the sustainability action process. They prepare the proposal, work out how it will be communicated and who will be responsible.

• Develop the statement for action which you can communicated to the school.
• Make sure your call to action is simple and easy to follow.
• Identify the order of steps or actions needed to implement the plan.
• Make sure you gain agreement on the proposal from stakeholders including the Principal.
• Before you prepare the communications plan consider how to promote your proposed action take a look at the environmental benefits of recycling.

View the video The Benefits of Recycling Your Phone

MobileMuster – The Benefits of Recycling Your Phone from MobileMuster on Vimeo.

Identify and describe the environmental benefits of recycling mobile phones. Interact with the Mobile Muster Environmental Calculator and assess environmental benefits of recycling mobile phones.

• What would be the environmental benefit of recycling in terms of global warming (C02 emissions prevented)?
• What other measures are used in the environmental calculator?

Develop your proposal and allocate roles and responsibilities. Questions to consider:

• Does our planning address the original problem?
• How does this plan support all aspects of what we are going to do?
• How can this plan be communicated? Use the information collected in the survey to help form the communications plan.
• How do we record our actions for communicating and reporting?
• How will we monitor our progress and success?

4. Goodbye old phone.

You are now ready to take action. MobileMuster is the product stewardship program of the mobile phone industry and is accredited by the federal government. It is voluntarily funded by all of the major handset manufacturers and network carriers to provide a free recycling program in Australia.

These activities cover step four in the sustainability action process. They cover the implementation of the sustainable action and monitor its progress.

• Visit the MobileMuster website and learn more about the program, why it was developed and who funds the program. Watch the video MobileMuster – Our Story.

MobileMuster – Our Story from MobileMuster on Vimeo.

• In groups, students select one of MobileMuster’s member organisations and research the environmental initiatives to reduce the impacts of their products on the environment.
• Implement the steps set out in the proposal. Use the resources provided by MobileMuster to communicate the sustainability action.
• Schools that are a registered MobileMuster collection partner will be able to use their resources including posters, videos and logo to promote the action.
• Monitor progress. Questions to consider:
  • Who is monitoring the implementation?
  • What further action is needed to ensure success?
  • Are we following the proposed steps?
  • How are we monitoring our progress?
  • How are we collecting data?

5. Evaluating and reflecting

Change starts with education. Spreading awareness and taking action in order to make a difference can be achieved in a number of ways.

You are now ready to evaluate the sustainability action process and working out how we can create a sustainable mobile future. These activities cover step five in the sustainability action process. They cover the evaluation of the sustainable action and reflect on the learning process.

To evaluate the sustainability action consider the following questions:

• Were there any unexpected issues?
• How could you improve the action process for next time?
• What further action might you take?

Identify what learning resulted from the action process. If the sustainability action involved a MobileMuster collection event use the Environmental Calculator to measure the environmental impact of the action. Identify what you would do differently next time and possible future directions.

Present the evaluation to the school and community. You could create a documentary that describes the sustainability action and the impact.