News

MobileMuster is Expanding

On July 1 we announced the expansion of the MobileMuster program, broadening our recycling capability to include three new, growing e-waste product streams.  The expansion reflects our aim in creating a more sustainable circular economy, alongside the changing nature of the challenge related to electronic waste as an increasingly diverse range of products enter the Australian market as technology evolves.

The expansion of products we will now accept at participating drop off locations will include three new product streams:

• Network connectivity: modems and routers, landline phones, TV streaming devices
• Smart home technology: smart speakers, smart digital hub displays
• Wearables and peripherals: smart watches, tracking tags, VR headsets

Initially consumers will be able to drop of these products at their local Telstra, Optus or Vodafone store.  We will look to expand our network in the coming months.  Independent research conducted on behalf of MobileMuster[1] found that there are over 20.1 million devices stored in homes across the country.  In the last ten years, the rate of e-waste generated each year in Australia has more than doubled. MobileMuster and its members support a voluntary approach to product stewardship, and the program has demonstrated how industry can successfully work together to deliver effective, measurable social and environmental outcomes.

Since our program started over 24 years ago, we have facilitated the collection and recycling of over 1,800 tonnes of mobiles and accessories. MobileMuster has achieved over 95% resource recovery through recycling, and 73% awareness of mobile phone recycling. We have made mobile phone recycling accessible to all Australians, with 96% of the Australian population within 10kms of a MobileMuster recycling location and look to make recycling more products just as easy and accessible.

Run by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), MobileMuster is the only voluntary government accredited electronic product stewardship scheme in Australia and provides a complete e-waste solution to address the environmental, health and safety impacts of telecommunication products across their full life cycle.

With the amount of electronic waste sitting in people’s drawers, we are looking to change the way Australians looks at waste more broadly, protect the environment, and ensure effective recycling strategies are in place to meet future industry demand for new products. This expansion shows we are continuing to deliver on that promise.

 

[1] IPSOS Market Expansion Research commissioned in February 2021.