Electronic waste, including mobile phones, will be banned from landfills throughout Victoria from 1 July 2019. The ban covers any item with a plug, battery or cord that has reached the end of its life.
MobileMuster will continue to make it easy for Victorians to recycle their old mobile phones and related accessories. The program provides over 770 MobileMuster drop off points throughout the state including many local councils and all Optus, Telstra, Vodafone, Salvos Stores and Battery World stores. When you take back your mobiles for recycling just ask the staff for details of their MobileMuster collection unit. MobileMuster also partners hundreds of Victorian organisations, including schools, workplaces and universities who are part of the program. You can search for your local drop off point here.
The size of the network means that 96% of Victorians live within 10km of a MobileMuster collection site. However, if you are unable to drop-off your phone residents can pick up a free MobileMuster satchel from AusPost or get a free mailing label sent to you here.
The Victorian government has introduced the ban to protect the environment from potentially hazardous materials that can be found in e-waste. Recycling with MobileMuster does more than just keeping mobile phones out of landfill, we transform the components from waste into valuable materials for reuse. It means that fewer raw materials need to be extracted and processed to make new products.
Everything collected by MobileMuster is recycled safely and securely by the accredited program to the highest environmental standard. In Victoria all of the collections arrive at our local recycler in Somerton where they are sorted and disassembled into components. The batteries, printed circuit boards, casings, screens, accessories and packaging are then processed separately through shredding, sorting and heating techniques to maximise resource recovery.
Many councils throughout Victoria have established collection facilities at their local transfer stations to provide an easy way for residents to drop-off their e-waste. Contact your local council or visit Sustainability Victoria to find out where to take your e-waste.