AMTA talks up phone recycling

The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has reported that the publics’ participation in mobile phone recycling is on the rise.

The industry body has seen a 50 percent increase in the collection of phones, batteries and accessories from retail outlets in January

Some 11,500 mobile phone kits were collected under the AMTA’s MobileMuster campaign, which first kicked off in December.

The program seeks to treble the annual collection of mobile phones, batteries and accessories over the next three years to 180 tonnes per year and halve the number going to landfill by 2008.

According to Rose Read, manager of AMTA’s national recycling program, the program had thus far been well received by the public and retailers.

“The response from mobile phone retailers has been excellent, and we are now calling on all big business, local councils, schools and universities to get involved and help collect mobile phones for recycling by running their own MobileMuster at work, school or in their local community,” Read said in a statement.

More than 90 percent of the plastics and metals in mobile phones could be recovered and used to make other products, Read said.

“We have received enormous support from nearly every mobile phone provider and manufacturer in Australia demonstrating the industry’s strong commitment to delivering long term environmentally sustainable solutions”.

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