Having mustered a stellar recycling performance over the past year, including "growing industry participation and the volume of mobile phone components recycled through the program," MobileMuster celebrates 20 years.
MobileMuster is Australia's mobile phone wastage buster, celebrating the past 12 months of achievement seeing MobileMuster collecting and recycling "79 tonnes of mobile phone components, including over 1 million handsets and batteries,” according to its manager, Spyro Kalos.
As the industry product stewardship program moves into its twentieth year, it's great to see MobileMuster reporting that "the mobile telecommunications industry continues to invest and lead the way in product stewardship providing a free take back and recycling service for all mobile phone users, along with retailers, workplaces, and local councils within Australia."
Key highlights from the detailed, 26 page financial year 2017 annual report, which can be freely downloaded here include:
- E-waste has been one of the major issues affecting Australia, fuelled by the increased rate at which people upgrade to new devices.
- However, 77% of Australians are now privy to their options for mobile phone recycling, a figure MobileMuster is working to increase through ongoing education and public awareness programs.
- An Increase in the collection of mobile phones recycled to 79 tonnes.
- A recycling rate of 99% and a diversion from landfill rate of 99%.
- 60,000 meals delivered to people in need through the Mobile for a Meal campaign. http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/news/mobile-for-a-meal/
- Securing participation from two new major industry players: HMD Global (Nokia) and Google.
- Ensuring mobile phone batteries are now processed onshore through Envirostream.
- Managing a successful partnership with one of Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisations, Able Australia, for the second year in a row.
- The program collected, tested and data wiped from smartphones which were used by Able Australia to educate people with deafblindness on how to use speech recognition and Braille readers through mobile technology.
{loadposition alex08}So, what's next for 2018 when the MobileMuster program turns 21?
We're told that in the coming year MobileMuster, the recycling program managed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) http://www.amta.org.au/on behalf of the mobile telecommunications industry, "will work with its members and collection partners to continue to raise the awareness and sustainability of mobile phone recycling in Australia."
AMTA "also welcomes the review of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 and looks forward to working with the Government to maintain MobileMuster as a voluntary scheme that delivers enhanced environmental, social and economic outcomes in Australia."
The report also dovetails beautifully with WhistleOut's new research suggesting 30 million phones are sitting in Australian drawers doing nothing, when they could be being recycled by MobileMuster, or if still genuinely usable, sold to earn yourself some money!
