Frequently Asked Questions

Why are mobile phones so harmful to the environment?
Do I include my battery and charger in returning my phone for recycling?
Can my SIM Card be recycled?
What will happen to any personal information left on the phone?
The return satchel can hold four phones and one battery, why must I place them in different compartments?
How will the donation to Clean Up Australia be spent?
Why is re-using phones preferred to recycling?
What happens to the phone once it is returned?
How are the phones recycled?
What happens to the phones which are sent overseas?
Can I recycle landline or cordless phones?
How can Clean Up Australia help me organise a collection of mobile phones?
What does the future hold for mobile phones and e-waste?

Why are mobile phones so harmful to the environment?

• They are made up of many toxic substances including arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc.
  
• Substances can leak from mobiles dumped in landfills and seep into our groundwater, pollute the soil and contaminate the food chain.
  
• High turnover rate (every 12 - 18 months) for mobiles means they all have to be dumped somewhere and the majority of them end up in landfills. 

Do I include my battery and charger in returning my phone for recycling?

Most definitely. Our mobile recycler company will recycle the parts they can from the battery and charger.

Can my SIM Card be recycled?

Yes, there are components in a SIM card which can be recycled.

What will happen to any personal information left on the phone?

You should remove any personal information on the phone before recycling it. If the phone is still working, the information is cleared when the phone is refurbished so personal information will not be disclosed to any other party.

The return satchel can hold one mobile phone, one charger and one battery, why must I place them in different compartments?

It is a requirement of Australia Post that the phone be separated from the battery when placed in the satchel. Batteries cannot interact with other electrical equipment in the same compartment of a satchel, therefore only one battery can be returned at a time. If you have more batteries to return, please request additional satchels.

How will the donation to Clean Up Australia be spent?

A small donation (approximately $3) for every mobile phone returned through the Clean Up Mobile Phones program goes to Clean Up Australia. This money is goes directly to funding our campaigns to clean up, fix up and conserve the environment.

• Contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions and global warming.
• It saves valuable resources.
• Phone life extended by 5 -7 years (if repaired).
• Significant reduction in environmentally damaging extraction, energy consumption and waste.
• Re-using second-hand equipment can also often mean a lower price for products, increasing accessibility to those who may not otherwise be able to afford the product.

What happens to the phone once it is returned?

1. They are sent directly to Clean Up Australia's Recycling partner, Aussie Recycling Program (ARP) check them out at http://www.arp.net.au/.
2. Once on ARP premises, phones are scanned to record their ID number (tracking purposes) then tested for functionality and sorted into working and non-working phones.
3. Functional phones are sent overseas for re-use and the non-functional phones are recycled.

How are the phones recycled?

1. Phones are sent to MRI (visit http://www.mri.com.au/), one of Australia's leading e-waste recyclers
2. Phone is taken apart and sorted into different components. For example gold and silver parts can be made into jewellery. 300 grams of gold re-used saves mining 110 tonnes of gold ore.

What happens to the phones which are sent overseas?

They are sent to countries which can benefit from the lower cost of access to telecommunications including Pakistan, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Syria and Tonga.

People in those countries will gain affordable access to communications; avoiding the need to buy a new phone and thus, saving resources.

Can I recycle landline or cordless phones?

Most certainly. However, they cannot be recycled through Clean Up Australia's mobile campaign. Any appliance with plug ins can be recycled through an e-waste recycler. In these cases a charge may be incurred due to the amount of labour required to detatch the various parts. Click here for a list of e-waste recyclers, or alternatively speak to your local council as they sometimes organise free e-waste drop off days.

How can Clean Up Australia help me organise a collection of mobile phones?

• We provide resourceful information and accurate advice plus materials to promote your mobile collection.
• We provide a convenient method to return the phones via satchels and/ or courier collection.
• Please refer to the 'What can I do?' section on mobile phones by clicking here.

What does the future hold for mobile phones and e-waste? 

• Thankfully awareness on the environmental impacts of mobiles and other electronics is gaining momentum.
• Many companies now recognise the problem created by redundant electrical and electronic equipment and are finding alternative solutions. For example, Motorola has recently unveiled an eco-friendly mobile phone (MOTO W233) made using recycled plastic water bottles (Anonymous. Ecology, Environment & Conservation. Atlanta: Jan 23, 2009. p. 426). Furthermore, the company has included a postage-paid recycling envelope with the product to return your old phone at no cost. Other multinationals such as Sony and Dell are also offering their own take-back programs making recycling an easier option for consumers.
• NSW councils are also helping promote recycling by introducing new schemes. For example in the Hunter Valley, a new scheme called ‘Life Cycle' is helping divert unwanted household goods (including mobiles) away from landfills by reusing appliances in certain industries and charities. The initiative will create new jobs and save 9600 cubic metres of landfill space - enough to cover a football field in 2 metres of waste each year (Herald, Newcastle 2008).
• Overall, the future of recycling and mobile phones and other e-waste is looking bright. However there is still a long way to go considering the scale of mobile ownership around the world. By taking time to read this mobile section on Clean Up Australia's website, you have already taken the first step to making a difference.