MobileMuster and Envirostream to improve e-waste recycling

A partnership between MobileMuster and Envirostream will offer councils new recycling bins for mobile phones and other e-waste.

The initiative will firstly target local councils in Victoria who are preparing for the e-waste landfill ban, coming into effect 1 July 2019 to tackle one of Australia’s fastest growing waste streams. From there the units will be rolled out nationally to local councils and selective retailers.

Research shows approximately 256,000 tonnes of e-waste will be produced in Victoria by 2035; and in this year alone, approximately six million old and unused phones across the state are sitting in drawers gathering dust.

“We know that consumers are keen to recycle batteries along with their mobile phones and accessories in an environmentally sound way,” said MobileMuster Recycling Manager Spyro Kalos.

The partnership will make it easy for councils to offer residents a multi-collection station so they can responsibly dispose of their mobile phones and all batteries in the one place.”

Over the next 12 months as councils get ready for the ban, MobileMuster will be ramping up their education campaign in Victoria to let residents know how and where to recycle their mobile phones and batteries.

All of the batteries that are collected in the new recycling bins will be processed by Envirostream’s facilities based in Victoria. The mobile phones and accessories will also initially be processed locally before further processing for resource recovery.

“Our Australian-owned, battery processing facility is based on international best practice and can safely recover more than 95% of the resources from end-of-life batteries. We send those resources to metal and battery manufacturers, where they can be used as raw materials in new batteries,” said Envirostream Director Andrew Mackenzie.

Victorians can contribute to having a positive environment impact by actively recycling their e-waste.

Residents can responsibly recycle their mobile phones and accessories through the MobileMuster program by visiting participating local councils and retail stores including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Virgin Mobiles, Officeworks and Salvos Stores. Search for your local drop-off point.

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Bakaleev Aleksey

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