Mobile Phone Recycling

UOW has launched a mobile phone recycling program with Mobile Muster.   Mobile Muster is a not for profit program funded voluntarily by the majority of the handset manufacturers and all network carriers.

• Q1. Why should I recycle my mobile phone?
• Q2. What can I recycle?
• Q3  Where can I recycle my mobile phone at UOW?
• Q4  What happens to the mobiles collected?
• Q5. What is the Old Phones More Chickens campaign about?

Q1. Why should I recycle my mobile phone?

Did you know that over 90% of a mobile phone can be recovered and recycled such as plastics, gold, silver, copper and nickel?  Mobile phones aren’t biodegradable and contain small amounts of potentially hazardous substances.

There are over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in Australia. On average, Australians upgrade or exchange their mobile handsets every 18-24 months. It is estimated that there are nearly 16 million phones stored at home and work. 

Q2. What can I recycle?

All mobile phone handsets, mobile batteries, phone chargers and accessories.

Before recycling your mobile phone it is important that you remove the sim card and delete personal information from your phone.  If you don't know how to remove data from your phone go to the handset manufacturer’s website or call its helpline for guidance on how to delete or save your data.

Q3. Where can I recycle my mobile phone at UOW?

Mobile phones should not be thrown away in the Recycling bins (yellow top wheelie bin) or Garbage bins (red top wheelie bin). Please place them in specially marked collections at: 

Wollongong Campus

• Student Central, Building 17
• Facilities Management Division, Building 31
• URAC Building 13

Innovation Campus

• IC Central Management Office

Q4. What happens to the mobiles collected?. 

All Mobile phone components are dismantled and recycled.  None are refurbished or resold. 

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Q5. What is the Old Phones More Chickens campaign about? 

Old phones, more chickens” is a joint initiative between MobileMuster and Oxfam’s Unwrapped program to help families living in poverty by recycling mobile phones.    

For every two mobile phones recycled over Christmas and New Year, MobileMuster will purchase a chicken through Oxfam Unwrapped for a family struggling against poverty in Laos.   

The campaign runs from 1 November to 31 January 2012 so donate your old mobile phones during this period for them to be included in this campaign.

Download the campaign promotional poster here. 

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