Monash Council is again the top recycler of mobile phones in Victoria under the popular MobileMuster partnership program.
Council earned the Top Recycler Award for Victoria as part of MobileMuster’s Local Government Awards 2021 at the recent Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly in Canberra. This year’s win repeats Council’s success in 2020.
The award goes to the council in each state and territory that collects the most mobile phone components (measured in kilograms) for recycling between 1 May and 30 April.
Council’s drop-off locations contributed 245kg of mobile phone components last year, equating to the recycling of 3298 handsets and batteries.
Fittingly, the award presented to Monash Council has been created from recycled plastics made from electronic waste, including mobile phone casings collected through the MobileMuster program.
Monash Mayor Brian Little said Council was proud to be recognised for its work in encouraging the Monash community to recycle its phones.
“Monash Council prides itself on being a leader in community education about recycling and sustainability,” Mayor Little said.
“By offering convenient public drop-off points as part of the MobileMuster program, we are educating the community about responsible recycling as well as playing our part in diverting thousands of tonnes of non-renewable resources out of landfill and back into the manufacture of new products.”
Council has partnered with MobileMuster since 2008 and has several drop-off locations, including the Civic Centre in Glen Waverley, Oakleigh Service Centre, Monash Waste and Recycling Centre in Notting Hill, Wheelers Hill Library, Mount Waverley Library, Glen Waverley Library, Clayton Library and Oakleigh Library.
MobileMuster is the recycling program of the Australian mobile phone industry and for 15 years has been working with local councils to make recycling accessible to the community.
With e-waste growing at three times the rate of general waste in Australia, 24.5 million old mobile phones are stockpiled in cupboards and drawers across the country. The MobileMuster program recovers more than 95% of the material from old phones and accessories, which are then used in the manufacturing of new products. The program also accepts modems, routers, landline phones, smart home technology, wearables, gaming devices and tablets.
This year MobileMuster has joined forces with Landcare Australia and, for every phone recycled, it will provide $1 to assist with the planting of trees and shrubs that will protect our waterways and diverse wildlife.
Council’s success in the MobileMuster awards comes on top of the Monash Waste Transfer Station recently being named the state’s top venue in the Paintback paint recycling scheme. In 2019/20, it recovered 346,053kg of paint and packaging, more than double the next collection point.
