Cairns leads Queensland in mobile phone recycling

Cairns residents have helped the region top Queensland for mobile phone recycling, with 258.73kg of old mobile phones and accessories collected through MobileMuster in the past financial year.

The result placed Cairns ahead of Moreton Bay Regional Council (127.15kg) and Rockhampton Regional Council (64.78kg), highlighting the community's ongoing commitment to keeping e-waste out of landfill.

More than a tonne recycled in five years

Cairns has also led the state over the longer term, recycling 1,007.72kg of phones and accessories over the past five years.

The figures show consistent recycling efforts can make a significant difference, helping recover valuable materials from unwanted devices and reducing the need for newly mined resources.

According to MobileMuster, more than 95 per cent of a phone's materials can be recovered and reused through the recycling process.

Millions of old phones still sitting at home

Despite the strong result, there is still plenty of opportunity to recycle more devices, with an estimated 22 million unused mobile phones sitting in Australian homes.

Around 12 million of those phones no longer work, making them ideal candidates for recycling rather than remaining forgotten in drawers and cupboards.

Free and secure recycling

MobileMuster accepts all brands and types of:

• mobile phones
• batteries
• chargers and accessories

Broken and obsolete devices can also be recycled, and collected items are not refurbished or resold.

Residents concerned about personal information are encouraged to back up their data and factory reset devices before recycling. Any remaining data is destroyed during the recycling process.

Recycle a phone and support wildlife

Throughout September, every phone recycled through MobileMuster will also support conservation efforts, with $1 from each device donated to projects protecting primates and their habitats through partnerships with Zoos Victoria, Zoos SA, Sydney Zoo and Taronga Zoo.

Residents can find their nearest free MobileMuster collection point, including locations at libraries, community centres and council facilities, by visiting www.mobilemuster.com.au.