The residents of Sydney’s Hornsby Shire have been named NSW and Australia’s top mobile phone recyclers for the fourth year in a row.
The MobileMuster awards acknowledge those councils which have collected the most mobile phone components for recycling between 1 May 2021 and 30 April 2022.
Hornsby Shire residents deposited 670kgs of unwanted mobiles and accessories to be recycled by MobileMuster over the 12 months – 34% more than the previous year.
At Council’s Community Recycling Centre in Thornleigh, residents recycled the equivalent of 4,085 handsets and batteries, conserving 7.6 tonnes of mineral resources through the recycling process of these devices. The environmental benefits of recycling all these unwanted mobiles and batteries are equivalent to planting 39 trees with avoided co2 emissions equating to 1.5 tonnes, Council said in a statement today.
Hornsby Shire Mayor, Philip Ruddock said he was thrilled that Hornsby had once again taken out the recycling reward.
“Hornsby Shire is going from strength to strength, recycling more each year. To achieve the MobileMuster national title for a fourth time is a testament to our community’s commitment to the environment and residents’ willingness to take positive steps that benefit us all,” Mayor Ruddock said.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported this valuable initiative and helped us retain our position as the nation’s top mobile phone recycler. Keep up the good work Hornsby! Give your old handsets new life by dropping them off at the Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre.”
MobileMuster is the product stewardship program of the telecommunications industry. The program recovers over 95% of the material from old phones and accessories through recycling, which are then used in manufacturing of new products, reducing the need for virgin materials such as aluminium, copper, gold, silver, cobalt and lithium.
Head of MobileMuster, Spyro Kalos, congratulated Hornsby Shire on its achievement and acknowledged the significant work local councils do in supporting the community to recycle.
“Our local council partners play a crucial role in educating the community on why and how to recycle, along with providing easily accessible drop off sites. With e-waste a growing waste stream, now more than ever our local council partners are an important part of the solution in collecting and recycling more mobile phones and their accessories,” Mr Kalos said.
“Congratulations to the people of Hornsby Shire for once again leading the charge in mobile phone recycling.”
To find your nearest MobileMuster collection point, visit mobilemuster.com.au.
