Mobile phones are treasure troves of valuable materials. Recycling them not only helps the environment but also contributes to the global supply of essential resources. Here's a breakdown of the key materials recovered from old phones:

Precious metals
•Gold: Used in the phone's circuitry.
•Silver: Employed in various components, including the battery.
•Palladium: Found in the phone's liquid crystal display (LCD).
•Platinum: Used in certain phone components.

Base Metals
•Copper: A vital component in the phone's circuitry.
•Aluminium: Used in the phone's casing and internal components.
•Iron: Found in various phone parts.

Other Materials
•Plastics: Used for the phone's casing and internal components.
•Glass: Found in the phone's screen and camera lens.

Recycling mobile phones is crucial for conserving natural resources and reducing electronic waste. By properly disposing of your old phone, you're contributing to a more sustainable future. Use the information on this page to find a recycling location or collection service near you.

Mobile phone recycling is a win-win situation for multiple parties:

1. The Environment
•Reduced e-waste: Recycling prevents harmful and valuable materials from ending up in landfills.
•Conservation of resources: Recovering valuable metals reduces the need for mining new materials.
•Energy savings: Recycling uses less energy than producing new materials.

2. Consumers
•Peace of mind: Knowing your old phone is being recycled responsibly.
•Potential financial benefits: Some phone providers offer a trade-in service.
•Contribution to a sustainable future: Recycling phones keeps valuable materials in use for as long as possible, which reduces the need to extract new materials from the earth.

3. Industry
•Access to valuable materials: Recyclers recover precious metals and other components.
•Cost reduction: Recycled materials can be cheaper than sourcing new ones.
•Positive public image: Demonstrates commitment to sustainability.

4. Community
•Job creation: Recycling operations create employment opportunities.
•Support for charitable causes: If your phone is in good condition, you can donate it to a charity so it can be passed on to disadvantaged communities.

There are established and regulated recycling programs in place in Australia, such as MobileMuster, that prioritise safe and environmentally responsible practices. They handle the recycling process securely, ensuring that hazardous materials are properly managed and valuable components are recovered. The phones are dismantled in the recycling process, which destroys any remaining data left on the phone.

By recycling your mobile phone through a reputable program, you can rest assured that it's being handled safely and sustainably.

While the technology exists to recycle nearly 100% of a phone's components, the reality is that a much smaller fraction of mobile phones actually makes it to recycling facilities.

Estimates vary, but it's generally agreed upon that less than 20% of mobile phones are recycled globally. This is a significant issue considering the growing number of phones produced each year and the valuable resources they contain.

While the global average for mobile phone recycling is quite low, Australia has made significant strides in this area. The MobileMuster program has been instrumental in increasing recycling rates in Australia. It provides convenient drop-off points and ensures responsible handling of recycled phones. Since the program’s inception, MobileMuster has collected and recycled over 2,000 tonnes of mobile phone waste and diverted nearly 90% of products collected from landfill.

DV Safe Phone collects, repairs and gives free mobile phones to domestic violence survivors, through over 360 Domestic Violence and Law Enforcement Agencies, Safe Houses and Hospitals Australia-wide.

The Reconnect Project is closing Australia’s digital divide by providing refurbished mobile devices to people in need, (re)connecting them with family, friends and essential services. They accept donations of all makes and models of mobile phones and tablets, regardless of their age or condition; and laptops that are less than 10 years old.

Hello Initiative in Western Australia recycle and refurbish donated mobile phones for their Mobile Support Project, which connects young people in the WA justice system with refurbished smartphones. They accept donations of good condition smart phone devices from 2014 onwards and can also coordinate a donation drive for schools, community groups and businesses.

Mobile phones, accessories, and other accepted electronic items collected by MobileMuster are transported to one of two recycling facilities in Sydney and Melbourne. Products are dismantled manually with components separated into different streams: circuit boards, metal, glass, plastics, and batteries.
 
Some plastics and metals are processed in Australia, while circuit boards, batteries, and other plastics are processed by MobileMuster’s recycling partner at their facility in Singapore. These materials are recovered and used to make a range of new products including mobile phones, glass bottles, recycled plastic park benches, electronics, mobile phone batteries, and stainless-steel products.
 
Nothing the program collects is reused or resold. MobileMuster’s priority is to recover the majority of materials to use in the manufacture of new products.

More than 95% of the materials in mobile phones (like metals, plastic and glass) can be recovered and used to make new products. Recycling keeps these materials in use and out of landfill, preventing hazardous items like mobile phone batteries from leaching toxic materials into the soil and groundwater.

Recycling old mobile phones has environmental, health and economic benefits.

Environmental:
•Reduces electronic waste to landfill which is harmful to the environment.
•Conserves valuable resources such as precious metals, which reduces the need to mine new materials.
•Reduces energy demand as it requires less energy than manufacturing with virgin materials.

Health benefits:
•Prevents toxic materials from entering the environment, which can have harmful effects on human health and wildlife.
•Recycling prevents pollution and improves air quality by reducing the demand for power used in mining, refining, processing and shipping of raw materials.

Economic:
•The recycling industry employs people to process and recover materials from old phones, creating jobs in communities.
•Recycling supports innovation by encouraging the development of new technologies for extracting valuable materials from existing items.