Ahead of National Recycling Week (11-17 November 2024), research from MobileMuster, Australia’s largest mobile phone recycling program, has shown that awareness of mobile phone recycling is lowest among young Australians aged 16-24[1]. MobileMuster is using National Recycling Week as an opportunity to help more young Australians learn about mobile phone recycling and play their part in recycling the estimated 13 million broken or unusable mobile phones that could be recycled.
MobileMuster’s research[2] highlights:
- Three in five Australians have one or more unused broken phones that could be recycled at home.
- Only 50% of 16-24-year-olds are aware of mobile phone recycling programs in Australia, the lowest of any age group.
- An estimated 13 million broken, unusable phones are present in Australia, awaiting recycling.
Louise Hyland, CEO of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), which manages MobileMuster, said, “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.”
According to Hyland, there are three simple steps:
1) Look on https://www.mobilemuster.com.au/recycle-a-mobile/ to find your nearest drop-off point or print a label to send it to MobileMuster free of charge.
2) All data will be destroyed during the recycling process, but people may choose to perform a factory reset before recycling. Details of how to do this are on the MobileMuster website.
3) Simply send it in or drop it off at a collection point.
“By recycling old mobile phones, we can save resources, protect the environment and lower our carbon footprint,” Hyland said. “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.”
In the last 25 years, MobileMuster has worked to keep mobile phone products out of landfill and recycle them in a safe, secure, and ethical way. In this financial year alone, MobileMuster has collected 109 tonnes of mobile phone components. This effort is equivalent to reducing global warming by 328 tonnes of CO2 emissions, conserving 461 tonnes of mineral resources, or planting nearly 5,000 trees.
About MobileMuster
MobileMuster is managed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA). It is the product stewardship program of the telecommunications industry and is accredited by the federal government. It is voluntarily funded by major handset manufacturers and network carriers to provide a free mobile phone recycling program in Australia to the highest environmental standard.
About the 3G networks closure
Telstra and Optus switched off their 3G networks from 28th October 2024. TPG Telecom-owned Vodafone has already closed its network in January 2024. This means that devices that depend on the 3G network will no longer work.
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. While these devices can make normal 4G voice calls, they push emergency calls to 3G and so won’t be able to make an emergency call after the closure. In addition, devices that have been purchased overseas or from a retailer selling imported phones, might not be fully supported once the 3G network shuts down. Impacted devices may also include smartwatches, tablets, in-home personal emergency alarms, EFTPOS terminals and fire and security alarms.
AMTA encourages individuals with affected or old devices to properly dispose of them through MobileMuster, the official recycling scheme of the Australian mobile industry, promoting responsible product stewardship and sustainability.
For more information about the closure of the 3G networks, please visit www.3Gclosure.com.au, or the website of your mobile network operator.
To learn more about recycling with MobileMuster, please visit www.MobileMuster.com.au.
[1] MobileMuster, AMTA MobileMuster campaign tracking results, 2024
[2]MobileMuster, AMTA MobileMuster campaign tracking results, 2024
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