Australia urged to recycle 13m unused phones for environment

Australia's mobile phone recycling programme, MobileMuster, is urging the country to recycle the 13 million unusable phones currently hoarded by Australians as part of National Recycling Week.

Research conducted by MobileMuster has shed light on a notable gap in awareness, particularly among young Australians aged 16-24, regarding mobile phone recycling. This demographic shows the lowest level of awareness of recycling programmes for mobile phones across the country.

According to MobileMuster, three out of five Australians have at least one unused, broken phone at home ready to be recycled. This contributes significantly to the estimated 13 million broken or unusable phones lying dormant across Australia.

Louise Hyland, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), which oversees MobileMuster, stated, "MobileMuster's research shows us that there is still a lack of knowledge about what to do with phones when they are broken or unusable. We are using National Recycling Week as an opportunity to help close the knowledge gap on how to recycle mobile phones."

MobileMuster has outlined a straightforward three-step recycling process. Initially, individuals can locate the nearest drop-off point or opt to print a label via MobileMuster's website to send their phones without incurring any postage costs. Additionally, while the recycling process ensures the destruction of all data, individuals are encouraged to perform a factory reset for additional peace of mind, with guidance available on the MobileMuster website. Finally, users only need to drop off or send in the phones to participate in the recycling process.

"By recycling old mobile phones, we can save resources, protect the environment and lower our carbon footprint," added Hyland. "As Australia's 3G networks shut down from 28th October, devices that depend on the 3G network will no longer work. If your device is impacted by the 3G networks closure, or you have a broken phone at home, recycle them with MobileMuster."

Over the past 25 years, MobileMuster's efforts have focused on keeping mobile phone products out of landfills and ensuring they are recycled in a safe, secure, and ethical manner. In the current financial year alone, the programme has successfully collected 109 tonnes of mobile phone components, offsetting global warming potentials by 328 tonnes of CO2, conserving 461 tonnes of mineral resources, and equating this effort to the planting of nearly 5,000 trees.

In addition to the recycling efforts, several online influencers, including Bridey Drake, Elly Awesome Tech, Fairbairn Brothers, and Olympian Sam Fricker, are rallying young Australians to participate in mobile phone recycling, aiming to increase awareness among those aged 16-24.

The shutdown of Australia's 3G networks further underlines the importance of recycling, as devices reliant on these networks are rendered inoperative. The closure means that 3G devices are no longer supported and will not be able to make calls, including emergency voice calls to Triple Zero on any Australian mobile network. This closure also affects some 4G devices that default emergency calls to 3G. Impacted devices may also include smartwatches, tablets, in-home personal emergency alarms, EFTPOS terminals and fire and security alarms.

AMTA continues to promote the disposal of these devices through MobileMuster to uphold responsible product stewardship and sustainability within Australia's mobile industry.