MobileMuster has announced the City of Onkaparinga as South Australia’s top council for collecting mobile phones for recycling.

MobileMuster is the product stewardship program of the telecommunications industry, accredited by the federal government. Each year it recognises its top collecting council partners in each state or territory. 

Onkaparinga Now reports the MobileMuster awards acknowledge those councils which have collected the most mobile phone components for recycling between 1 May 2021 and 30 April 2022.

“Onkaparinga residents deposited 87kgs of unwanted mobiles and accessories to be recycled by MobileMuster over the 12 months."

City of Onkaparinga acting Mayor Simon McMahon has thanked Onkaparinga residents and small businesses for doing the right thing and recycling their old phones.

“Onkaparinga communities have consistently told us they’re concerned about the environment and sustainability, so it’s great to see them getting behind our focus on being a leader in the transition from recycling to a circular economy,” he told Onkaparinga Now. 

MobileMuster acknowledges that local councils are often the first point of contact for residents and small businesses who want to find out where to recycle tricky items like their old mobiles. 

“Recent research conducted by IPSOS highlights that consumers prefer to drop off products for recycling at their local council followed by the place of purchase.  

“Our local council partners play a crucial role in also educating the community on why and how to recycle, along with providing easily accessible drop off sites.  

“With e-waste growing, now more than ever our local council partners are an important part of the solution in collecting and recycling more mobile phones.”

The program is voluntarily funded by all of the major handset manufacturers and network carriers to provide a free mobile phone recycling program in Australia to the highest environmental standard. 

It is committed to raising awareness and educating the community on repair, reuse and recycling.

MobileMuster accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories. Its extensive collection network provides 3,000 public drop off points across the country, along with a free post back option.

In 2022 its local council partners collected over 5.8 tonnes nationally. This includes over 35,000 handsets and batteries. 

Find out more about the program and where to recycle old mobiles on the MobileMuster website.