MOBILE PHONES
What you need to know…
The facts about mobile phones
• On average Australians upgrade or exchange their mobile phones every 18 to 24 months.
• As at 30 June 2010 there were over 24 million mobile phone subscriptions in Australia.
• There is an estimated 14-16 million old or unused mobile phones sitting in draws and cupboards at home and work in Australia.
• The industry funded collection program ‘mobilemuster’
has collected over 724 tonnes of old mobiles, including 5.11 million handsets and batteries since it began in November 1998.
• 7.63 million mobile phone units or 1,297 tonnes were imported in 2009/10.
Why recycle mobile phones?
• Mobile phones contain a range of toxic metals including lead, nickel, zinc, beryllium, cadmium, arsenic, copper and antimony which do not degrade in the environment and have the potential to adversely affect health.
• 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.
• The general composition is similar among all mobile phones and includes a range of plastics, metals, ceramics and glass.
• Recycling of mobiles minimises solid and hazardous waste going to landfill, recovers rare natural resources, reducing the need to use raw materials and minimizes pollution.
The Hills Shire Council
Mail PO Box 75, Castle Hill, NSW, 1765 Fax: 02 9843 0411 l Ph: 02 9843 0310
E-mail: [email protected]
• Over 90% of the materials in mobile phones can be recovered and used as raw materials for new products;
Parts Materials recovered
Batteries Nickel - recovered to make stainless steel.
Cobalt and Cadmium – recovered to make new batteries.
Circuit boards Gold and silver – used to make jewellery and other applications such as new circuit boards.
Plastic casings & housing Plastic – the hard plastics are shredded and used to make fence posts and pallets.
Accessories Plastics and metals - shredded, sorted and then used to make new plastic or metal products.
• Some charities collect and refurbish old phones to send to third world countries.
• Recyclers such as ‘mobilemuster’ completely recycle old phones so that individual components can re-enter the market.
How are they recycled?
Visit www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/waste-services for further recycling information.
Source: Planet Ark, Mobile Muster
There is an estimated 14-16 million old or unused mobile phones sitting in draws and cupboards at home and work in Australia.
Tips to reduce mobile phone waste
• When updating your old phone, see if your friends or family can still use it.
• Recycle your old disused mobile phones through one of the more than 3,500 collection boxes located throughout Australia.
• When purchasing a new phone, choose a long lasting option that you can hold on to and keep it in a protective case so that it does not break.
• Just because your contract is up it doesn’t mean you have to update your mobile phone.
• There are mobile phone collection boxes in all of Council’s libraries and the Council Chambers Customer Service Centre in Castle Hill. See www.mobilemuster.com.au for full details.
Collection
Old mobiles are deposited into collection boxes which are collected directly by the
recyclers.
Sorting and transport
Batteries and circut boards are sent to South Korea for recycling, plastic housing to
local manufacturers in Australia and accessories such as chargers are also
sent to local recyclers.
Dismantling
Phones are dismantled and sorted into the following components - batteries (NiCad, NiMetHyd,
Lithium Ion), printed circuit boards, handsets, chargers/
accessories, plastics and paper/cardboard packaging.
