Environmentally conscious: Recycling your mobile phone

The environment is a big issue today, with most people responsibly making good use of recycling options. Paper and plastic recycling is almost second nature these days, but what of more complex items? You may have heard of the ultra-Green sounding “mobile phone recycling” – but how exactly does it work? As well as fitting into the “reusable” model of today's mindset, by allowing mobile phone parts to be used again, mobile phone recycling prevents toxic chemicals from polluting the environment via landfill. Read on for more about this environmentally friendly marvel process.

Where to recycle your mobile phone

As well as being wise, it's also ultra convenient to be Green; there's literally dozens of mobile phone collection points. Before considering disposal though, the first thing to ask is, can anyone I know use my old phone? It may be a temporary solution, but it's probably the first question and saves unnecessary purchase of a new phone (and use of new materials) on their part.

For actual disposal, check out mobilemuster.com.au, an admirable initiative of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) dedicated to responsible disposal of old telephones. The MobileMuster service is a big deal – with more than 3,000 “wranglers” (nice!) involved, including mobile phone retail stores, ANZ branches, state and government agencies and many more bodies. The MobileMuster website lets you search your location for the nearest phone recycling drop off points.

You can hand your old phones in at most local post offices, just ask at the counter - and Australia Post outlets carry free recycling satchels also. Mobile phone shops are another good place to hand in your old handsets - again, ask at the counter if a store accepts old phones for recycling.

If you aren't able to get to a post office for a free recycling satchel, some recycling organisations will send you a free-post bag so you can forward your old phone to them. Another option is your local garbage disposal depot, which may well have a receptacle for old mobile phones.

How mobile phone recycling works

Basically, all the components in your mobile phone can be recycled, so it's a good idea to place them in the receptacles provided. From there they are forwarded to approved recyclers in OECD countries such as France and South Korea as well as the local recycling companies in Australia. The recycling processes are highly efficient and operate in the following ways:

Circuit boards are processed for their precious metals
Plastic casings are shredded and reused in composite products
Batteries are processed for their nickel and cadmium which is then used in new batteries
Accessories are also broken down into their various components for re-use

The mobile phone recycling process provides a total breakdown of all the chemical compounds, allowing them to be re-used and thus preventing them from otherwise causing contamination in the environment.

With so many bodies involved in the mobile recycling initiative and the MobileMuster website making the whole process so smooth, there really is no excuse for tossing your phone in with the household garbage. It up to you to dispose of your phone in a responsible way and recycling organisations have made it undeniable easy to do so. Surely it signals the end poor mobile phone disposal – indeed, it calls time on environmentally unfriendly behaviour.