Recycle your mobiles and regenerate Australia’s coastline

This year MobileMuster, the mobile phone industry’s official recycling program, and Landcare Australia’ have partnered to give Australia’s iconic coastline a helping hand by simply recycling old mobiles and accessories.

Through the ‘Old phones, more trees’ campaign, MobileMuster aims to collect 250,000 handsets and provide up to 25 grants of $2,000 each to Landcare and Coastcare groups around Australia. The campaign will run from World Environment Day on 5 June to 30 September 2011.

“With over 19 million Australians living within 50 kilometres of the coast, and 19 million old and broken mobile phones lying in Australian homes unused, it seems that Aussies love the beach and holding onto their old mobiles,” says MobileMuster Manager, Recycling, Rose Read.

“The ‘Old phones, more trees’ campaign and Landcare partnership is now in its fifth year and we’re aiming to collect twice as many handsets as last year.

Not only will Australia’s beaches and coastlines benefit from the campaign, we will also be keeping these mobiles out of landfill and recycling over 90 per cent of the materials in them,” says Ms Read.

Recycling 250,000 old mobiles plus their batteries and chargers will recover enough materials to make 48,000 aluminium cans and more than 2,400 plastic fence posts.  Recovery of these materials will also avoid the need to mine more than 728 tonnes of gold ore, 808 tonnes of silver ore and 178 tonnes of copper sulphide.

Across Australia, volunteer Landcare and Coastcare groups undertake vital work to maintain and protect the coastline including, dune restoration, revegetation, weed management and protection of coastal habitat.

“Landcare Australia recently surveyed more than 500 Coastcare groups on their current projects and needs. The survey showed that the number one challenge facing these volunteer groups is lack of funding,” says Landcare Australia CEO, Heather Campbell.   
 
“The funding provided through ‘Old phones, more trees’ will enable 25 Landcare and Coastcare groups to maintain and protect our coastline through dune restoration, revegetation, weed management and  the protection of vital coastal habitats,” continues Ms Campbell.

Since 2007 the ‘Old phones, more trees’ campaign has enabled Landcare groups to plant more than 255,000 trees across Australia and recycle more than 149,000 kilograms of mobile phones and accessories.

“We are extremely lucky in Australia to have access to more than 47,000 kilometres of unique coastal habitats. MobileMuster hopes to assist Landcare and Coastcare groups in planting another 25,000 native trees and shrubs around our shores,” says Ms Read.

MobileMuster is calling on Australians to round up their old and unused mobiles, batteries, chargers and accessories to achieve two great environmental outcomes.
“Recycling an old mobile phone is free, easy and will make a real difference to the planet,” says Ms Read.

Old phones, more trees runs from 5 June until 30 September 2011. MobileMuster will donate 25 grants of $2,000 each to Landcare Australia and Coastcare groups.
 
Recycling an old mobile phone is free and easy, simply:
1. Hand ‘em in at your mobile phone retailer / MobileMuster local collection point - to find your nearest one go to www.mobilemuster.com.au or call 1300 730 070
2. Post ‘em in by either picking up a free MobileMuster recycling satchel from Australia Post, National Pharmacies or printing off a reply paid mailing label from www.mobilemuster.com.au