They’re Calling On You: Australians urged to recycle old phones to protect primates this September

31 August 2026: They’re Calling On You brings together MobileMuster’s zoo partners to encourage Australians to recycle their old and broken mobile phones, chargers, cords and other e-waste sitting unused in their homes.

For every phone recycled this September, MobileMuster will donate $1 to each of our Zoo partners, including Zoos Victoria, Zoos SA, Taronga Zoo and Sydney Zoo, to support their primate conservation projects, including the Jane Goodall Institute Australia, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, and the Gorilla Doctors. Last year 20,000 phones were recycled nationally and this year we are really hoping we can get 50,000.

The campaign connects a simple household action with a much bigger story. Mobile phones contain valuable materials that can be recovered through recycling and returned to circulation. Recycling these materials reduces e-waste and the need for mining new raw materials, reducing CO2 emissions and helping the environment.

MobileMuster accepts old and broken mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories and provides free recycling through thousands of public drop-off locations around Australia as well as a free post-back option for those in remote or regional areas. Find your nearest drop-off point here. 

Key stats
● Australians currently have an estimated 22 million mobile phones that are no longer being used but kept “just in case”.
● Of these, 12 million — or 59% — are broken and aren’t realistic back up phones.
● Phones contain tiny amounts of precious materials like coltan, which is often mined from areas where endangered primates live.
● More than 95 per cent of a phone’s materials can be recovered through MobileMuster’s recycling process.
● Almost every Australian is within 10km of a MobileMuster collection point.

For more information, contact mobilemuster@amta.org.au