How to recycle

Three rules to recycling your mobiles:

1. IMPORTANCE NOTICE

   Before recycling your handset please ensure all person information is deleted
   from the phone and the SIM card is removed.

2. Please follow the handset manufacturers’ advice on company websites and
   consult your phone manuals to wipe clean the memories of your phones and
   ensure that the data is un-useable.

3. Hand 'em in it at your nearest collection point. (Into Mobiles Pty Ltd, 76 High St, Shepparton, Vic, 3630.)

More Info? Call 1300 730 070

Quick Facts

Volumes collected (as at 30 June 2008)
In 2007/2008 collected 97 tonnes of mobile phone components, including 775,200 hansets and batteries.This represents an 18.9% annual collection rate of discarded mobiles^# and a 5.5% annual collection rate of net imports^.
^ ^# Refer to the Mobile Phone Industry Statement of Commitment to Mobile Phone Recycling for defintion and formula to calculate these two annual collection rates

Total Collections since started (i.e Nov 1998) - 499 tonnes, includes 3.5 million handsets and batteries.

2007-08 MobileMuster Annual Report

Annual collections (mobile phone components only)
2006-07 - 78 tonnes            (including an estimated 576,640 handsets and batteries)
2005-06 - 42 tonnes            (including an estimated 390,000 handsets and batteries)
2004-05 - 52 tonnes            (including an estimated 336,000 handsets and batteries)
2003-04 - 49 tonnes            (including an estimated 266,000 handsets and batteries)
2002 -03 - 68 tonnes           (including an estimated 303,000 handsets and batteries)
2001-02 - 32 tonnes            (including an estimated 368,000 handsets and batteries)
2000-01 - 37 tonnes            (including an estimated 205,000 handsets and batteries)
Nov 98 - 2000 - 28 tonnes   (including an estimated 257,000 handsets and batteries)

Net imports of mobile phones into Australia 
8.87 million units in 2007/08 - or 1,775 tonnes* (*assumes average unit weight of 200g, handset, battery, charger and accessory included)

Number of mobile phone subscribers
Over 21 million

How often to Australians upgrade or exchange their mobile phones
On average every 18 to 24 months.

Estimated number of mobile phones stored in cupboards and drawers
Nearly 16 million. 32% of mobile phone users have 2 or more old mobiles at home. 70% have 1 old mobile at home

Awareness of mobile phone recycling
At February 2008 awareness of mobile phone recycing was 75% up from 46% in March 2005

What Australians did with their previous mobile phone
Independent online market research of 650 mobile phone users in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in February 2008 by Ipsos revealed that (previous surveys were conducted in March 2005, March 2006, March 2007 and July 2007)

• Nearly 80% of mobile phone users either kept or passed on previous their mobile phone
• 50% of Australians kept their previous mobile phone even if it wasn't working (55% - July 2007, 54% - March 2007, 52% - 2006, 42% - 2005),
• 19% gave away their previous mobile phone to either family or friends (22 - July 2007, 22% - March 2007, 23% - 2006, 18% - 2005)
• 7% said they were still using their previous mobile phone (4% - July 2007, 6% - March 2007, 4% - 2006 & 2005),
• 1% traded in their previous mobile (1% - July 2007, 4% - March 2007, 2006, 2005)
• < 1% donated to charity (1% - July 2007, 1% - March 2007, 2006, 2005)

Less than 20% of mobile phone users discarded their previous mobile phone

• 6% recycled their previous mobile phone (4% - July 2007, 4% - March 2007, 3% - 2006, 4% - 2005)
• 4% threw out their previous mobile phone (4% - July 2007, 3% - March 2007, 5% -2006, 9% - 2005)
• 4% of people lost or had their previous mobile phone stolen (4% - July 2007, 4% - March 2007 & 2006, 8% -2005)

What's in a mobile phone handset
The content of mobile phones varies from model to model and as the technology advances so does the composition.  There is no exact formula or single list of substances however, the general composition is similar among all mobile phones and other types of small electronic equipment i.e. e made up of plastics, metals, ceramics and glass. For a graphical representation of the average composition of a mobile phone click here.

What can be recycled
Over 90% of the materials in mobile phones can be recovered and used as raw materials for new products.

• Batteries include nickel to make stainless steel and cobalt and cadmium to make new batteries.
• Circuit boards include small amounts of gold and silver that is used in jewellery and other applications.
• Handset housings and casings include plastics that are shredded and used to make fence posts and pallets.
• Accessories include plastics and metals that are shredded, sorted and then used to make new plastic or metal products.

Mining versus recycling
One tonne of mobile phone circuit boards can yield the same amount of precious metals as 110 tonnes of gold ore. 123 tonnes of silver bearing ore and 11 tonnes of copper sulphide ore.  See what the materials from old mobiles can be turned into.

Why recycle?

• prevent pollution and protect our environment
• minimise solid and hazardous waste going to landfill
• recover resources to manufacture new products
• reduce the need to use raw materials and save our natual resources

How is MobileMuster funded and managed?
Mobilemuster is the only whole of industry led electronic product recycling program in the world.  It is funded voluntarily by handset manufacturers Nokia, Motorola, Samsung Electronics Australia, Sony Ericsson, LG Electornics, Sharp, NEC, Panasonic, i-Mate, battery distributors Force Technology and mobile phone network service providers Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, 3 Mobile, Virgin Mobile and AAPT.  Each pay an advance recycling levy raising 42 cents for every handset they import into Australia