Over 90% of the materials used in a mobile are recyclable. While they cannot be recycled through the yellow lid bin, phones along with all batteries and chargers can be returned to the following facilities for FREE to be recycled:
- Bathurst Regional Council Civic Centre
- Bathurst Waste Management Centre
- MobileMuster participating stores
MobileMuster is the official recycling program of the mobile phone industry in Australia. It is the only whole of industry and self funded electronic waste recycling program in the world, providing free collection and recycling services to consumers, retailers, businesses, schools and local councils.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens to the mobile phones after I drop them off?
All mobiles collected will be sent to the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association's official recycler in Melbourne where they are dismantled, sorted and separated into circuit boards, batteries, handsets and accessories. These are then processed either locally or overseas for resource recovery. All recycling of mobile phone components is to the highest environmental standard.
2. Why is it important to recycle mobile phones?
On average, most people buy a new phone every 2 years, with most of material able to be recovered and recycled into new products such as stainless, steel, batteries and jewellery. Mobile phones are not biodegradable and contain small amounts of potentially harmful substances which if not managed properly can harm the environment.
3. What if I have data left on my old phone?
We encourage you to remove all personal information from your mobile and SIM card before you recycle them. As all mobiles are dismantled and processed, any data left on the phone or SIM card will be destroyed.