Registrations for the schools’ challenge have now closed. If you have already registered, please note that your collections must be booked and received at our recycling facility before the end of July.
The MobileMuster Schools Challenge encourages teachers, students, families and their local communities to recycle old and unwanted mobile phones and their accessories between March and the end of June 2022. This year there are THREE great reasons to join our schools challenge:
How to participate
What your school could win
For information about last year’s winners click here.
Who can participate?
All public and private early learning, preschools, primary, intermediate, special and secondary schools in Australia are invited to join the challenge.
What are the important dates?
What are the prizes?
Each of the participating zoos have generously donated a range of fantastic prizes including class excursions, family passes, special animal encounters and online classes and experiences.
Prizes will also be awarded to top collecting schools:
What can you recycle?
What are the different ways of collecting?
A MobileMuster collection box will be sent to your school when you register. The collection box should be in a secure location, such as the school office, library or classroom where they can be monitored by staff. At the end of the challenge (30 June 2022) you will need to seal the collection box and book in a free pick-up. MobileMuster will arrange a courier to pick up the collection box.
Recycling satchels will be sent to you when you register, and they can be sent home with students. Families can fill the satchel with their old mobile phones and accessories, take them back to school or post them back to MobileMuster via Australia Post.
Mobile Phone components received via satchels posted back to MobileMuster will be included in the total weight collected during the challenge, but will not be allocated to the total volume collected by the participating school.
How much do I have to collect?
To be eligible to win one of our prizes, schools must send in a minimum of 8kg of mobile components which include handsets, chargers, batteries, accessories and wearables.
How can you support the challenge?
Encourage the community to recycle their old mobile phones and accessories at your school. Promote the challenge in your school newsletters, on social media and in the classroom. We have comprehensive education resources for preschool, primary and high school to increase understanding of conservation, sustainability and recycling.
What are the terms and conditions?
Read our Schools Challenge Terms and Conditions for further information on instructions and eligibility.
Teachers can use our curriculum guides, school kit and access our digital library to plan lessons and support the challenge in the classroom. We understand that learning about the importance of recycling is critical in encouraging the community to take action.
If you are already a registered school with MobileMuster, you can order one of our School Challenge Kits by emailing mobilemuster@amta.org.au
The Kit will contain your collection box, post back satchels and resources to help you run a muster at your school.
Go through the checklist below when planning your event.
Conduct a survey to see how many old mobile phones people are storing at home.
People are more likely to recycle if you offer them an incentive. There are a number of ways you could incentive the school community. Your school could offer house points for each mobile phone that is collected. You could have a prize or award for the student who collects the most mobile phones.
Make a short video to encourage the community to recycle. Videos are a great way to communicate. Create your video and show it at the school assembly so that all the students are excited to recycle. You could also see if it could be posted to the schools social media or digital newsletter.
Our digital library and book contains narrated videos, stunning images, interactive activities and detailed text to help students learn about mobile phone recycling. Once you have had a look at these resources and completed the activities test your knowledge by completing our Quiz.
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.
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. Have a look at our video MobileMuster – What’s Inside Your Phone.
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.
You are now ready to define the scope of action. Watch the War On Waste, Series 2, Episode 2 (iView) and 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 and A Free Trip to Agbogbloshie by Dave Hakkens. Once you have watched the videos discuss the following:
Explore what happens when mobile phones are recycled through the MobileMuster program. Watch the video MobileMuster – The Recycling Journey and What happens when you recycle. Identify three reasons why it is important to recycle responsibly through programs like MobileMuster. Research information about the MobileMuster program, generate ideas and explore options for making a change.
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 your proposal and allocate roles and responsibilities. Questions to consider:
View the video The Benefits of Recycling Your Phone. 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. Answer the questions:
You are now ready to take action. 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. 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.
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?
At the end of your muster don’t forget to book in a free pick up so that all of the mobile phones you have collected and be recycling. If you are a registered site you can book in a free pick-up by calling us on 1800 249 113 or book online.
Don’t forget to celebrate your achievement. You can use our environmental calculator to work out the environmental benefit of your recycling and print off a certificate. Recycling efforts — big and small have a lasting, positive effect on our environment.
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:
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.