Victoria’s students from Glen Waverley South Primary School have proved they are Australia’s future eco warriors after beating more than 400 schools and handing in 97kg of mobile phones and accessories for recycling, to become the national winner of the 2009 MobileMuster ‘Old Phones, New Fence Posts’ Schools Recycling Challenge.
The Challenge created by the official recycling program of the mobile phone industry, MobileMuster, encouraged students to round up and recycle old and unused mobile phones lying around at home. For every 5kg of old mobiles handed in for recycling by schools from 1 May and until World Environment Day – June 5, MobileMuster and Australia Composite Technology (ACT) pledged to donate 1 Plasmar plastic fence post to communities affected by the Victorian bushfires.
Rose Read, Manager of the Australian Mobile Telecommunication Association’s (AMTA), mobile phone recycling program, MobileMuster, said Glen Waverley South Primary School in Victoria rounded up an incredible 97kg of mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories. This equates to 496 handsets - 13 times the average school collection of 7kg.
“As a result, 720 Plasmar plastic fence posts have been donated to fence more than 5km of property and creek boundaries in the Baw Baw Shire Council and Kinglake areas.
We congratulate the students of Glen Waverley South Primary School for their fantastic recycling efforts. It is wonderful to see them working together with their teachers and families to help the environment as well as local farmers and schools whose property were devastated by the bush fires,” said Ms Read.
Handsets become Fence Posts
“Over 90% of the materials found in mobile phones can be recovered and used to make new products. The plastics from the handsets and chargers are shredded and combined with other plastics to make Plasmar fence posts, made locally in Melbourne by Australia Composite Technology (ACT).
“This includes the plastic fence posts which have been donated to Labertouche Primary, School and a number of local farmers in the Baw Baw Shire area,” concluded Ms Read.
MoblieMuster
MobileMuster is a year round free program, so you can continue to hand in your old mobile phones, batteries, accessories and chargers for recycling at any one of MobileMuster’s 3,500 drop-off points nationally. Alternatively you can pick up a free recycling satchel from participating Australia Post outlets, or by downloading a free reply paid label from www.mobilemuster.com.au
To find your nearest MobileMuster drop off point or to download a free mailing label go to www.mobilemuster.com.au or call 1300 730 070
What Australians did with their previous mobile phone!
Independent online market research of 650 mobile phone users in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in February 2009 by Ipsos revealed that (previous surveys were conducted in March 2005, March 2006, March 2007,July 2007 and Feb 2008)
80% of mobile phone users either kept or passed on previous their mobile phone
53% of Australians kept their previous mobile phone even if it wasn't working (up from 50% in Feb 08 and up from 42% in March 2005)
16% gave away their previous mobile phone to either family or friends (down from 19% in Feb 08 and down from 18% in March 2005)
9% said they were still using their previous mobile phone (up from 7% in 2008 and up from 4% in March 2005)
1% traded in their previous mobile (no change from Feb 08, down from 4% in March 2005)
1% donated to charity (no change since March 2005)
15% of mobile phone users discardedtheir previous mobile phone
9% recycled their previous mobile phone (up from 6% in Feb 08 and 4% in March 2005)
2% threw out their previous mobile phone (down from 4% in Feb 08 and 9% in March 2005)
4% of people loststolen(same as Feb 08 and down from 8% in March 2005)
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Victoria’s students from Glen Waverley South Primary School have proved they are Australia’s future eco warriors after beating more than 400 schools and handing in 97kg of mobile phones and accessories for recycling, to become the national winner of the 2009 MobileMuster ‘Old Phones, New Fence Posts’ Schools Recycling Challenge.
