MobileMuster is a not-for-profit initiative funded by the telecommunications industry to recycle old, broken mobile phones and accessories, it is accredited by the federal government and is 100% carbon neutral – the good news is it is now available in the Borough.
For more information, please read over the FAQ's below. You can also learn more about the program by heading to the MobileMuster website.
FAQ’s Mobile Muster Recycling Program
Where can I find MobileMuster drop off points in the Borough?
Council have set up MobileMuster drop off points at:
The Council Office - 50 Learmonth Street, Queenscliff
Wirrng Wirrng (The Hub) 49 - 55 Hesse Street, Queenscliff
What products does MobileMuster accept for recycling?
MobileMuster collects:
How can I recycle other telecommunication items?
The following products are accepted at your local Telstra, Optus or Vodafone stores:
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Smartwatches, smart pens, tracking tags and VR headsets (only Apple, Amazon, Fitbit, Google products)
What products does MobileMuster NOT accept for recycling?
Where can I take other e-waste items?
Residents can dispose of e-waste items year-round via the Drysdale Resource and Recovery Centre. This is a free service for domestic quantities.
For information on eligibility and more, visit their website.
Council also coordinates an annual e-waste drop-off day for residents to dispose of their electronic waste.
For more information visit our website.
Why should I recycle my unused mobile phone and other e-waste?
When you recycle, you reduce the need to extract and use raw materials, saving our natural resources in the process. Recycling also improves air quality by reducing the demand for power used in mining, refining, processing, and shipping of raw materials. Additionally, recycling prevents pollution and minimises hazardous waste going to landfill.
Independent research has shown that there are about 26 million unused phones currently being stored in Australia, four million of which are unusable. If we recycled all these phones, we would make a significant positive impact on human and environmental health.
How much of a mobile phone is recycled?
MobileMuster’s recycling partner is a global leader in e-waste recycling and its process can recover more than 95% of the materials in a mobile phone. They can even recycle your plastic cases and accessories, and the paper and cardboard from your mobile phone packaging.
Materials that are extracted from your mobile phone include glass from the screen, aluminum from the phone casing, valuable metals such as gold, silver, palladium, platinum, and copper from the circuit board, as well as metals such as steel and a mixed metal compound of graphene, nickel, cobalt, and lithium from the lithium batteries.
What happens to mobile phones and other e-waste once they’re collected for recycling?
Mobile phones, accessories, and other accepted e-waste are transported to one of two recycling facilities in Sydney and Melbourne. Products are dismantled manually with components separated into streams – circuit boards, metal, glass, plastics, and batteries
Some plastics and metals are processed in Australia. Circuit boards, batteries, and other plastics are processed by MobileMuster’s recycling partner at their facility in Singapore. These materials are recovered and used in the manufacture of a range of products, including mobile phones, glass bottles, recycled plastic park benches, other electronics, mobile phone batteries, and stainless-steel products.
MobileMuster’s priority is to recover the majority of the materials to use in the manufacture of new products.
What happens to the data that may still be on my phone when it’s recycled?
You are encouraged to delete or transfer data they want to keep from the device before dropping it off for recycling, and MobileMuster offers guides on how to do this on its website. However, any data left on the phone is destroyed during the recycling process.
What happens if somebody takes or steals a phone from a collection point?
We keep our MobileMuster collection unit in a visible and secure location where it can be monitored by staff to deter theft. If a theft incident does occur, MobileMuster works closely with local police to recover the device(s) and bring charges where necessary.
Who is MobileMuster?
MobileMuster is the mobile telecommunications industry’s product stewardship program, and it is managed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) on behalf of its members. It is a voluntary, not-for-profit scheme that is funded by all the major handset manufacturers and network carriers to provide a free mobile phone recycling program in Australia.
The award-winning scheme is accredited by the Australian government, which means it has the government’s stamp of approval as it achieves sustainable outcomes, aligns with circular economy principles, and has high industry support. To be and remain accredited, MobileMuster has to continuously demonstrate to the government that it is recycling to the highest environmental standard, and it contributes to Australia’s recycling and waste reduction objectives.
Find out more about MobileMuster here