What’s Happening?
Rockhampton residents helped their council secure a top-three Queensland result for recycling old mobile phones and accessories. The result comes from MobileMuster’s council collection figures for the past financial year. MobileMuster’s Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, Helen Maisano, celebrated Rockhampton’s performance and encouraged the community to build on it.
“Rockhampton has the mighty Fitzroy River at its heart, and now its community has another environmental achievement to celebrate,” Ms Maisano said. “Residents recycled 64.78kg of old mobiles and accessories in the past financial year, putting Rockhampton third on Queensland’s council leaderboard and just behind the City of Brisbane. Every device adds up, and we’d love to see Rocky build on that result and make the Queensland leaderboard even more competitive next year.”
Why It Matters
Recycling unwanted mobile phones allows valuable materials to return to use and reduces demand for newly mined resources. Maisano said council participation also helps communities make mobile phone recycling part of their routine.
“It’s great to see councils across Australia and their communities getting behind MobileMuster, and there’s definitely room for a little friendly competition,” Ms Maisano said. “The leaderboard might be fun, but the impact is real. More than 95 per cent of a phone’s materials can be recovered through MobileMuster’s recycling process and used again, reducing the need for newly mined resources.”
Local Impact
Rockhampton Regional Council’s result places the community among Queensland’s leading council areas for MobileMuster collections. Residents contributed by recycling unwanted mobile phones and accessories through the program.
MobileMuster accepts mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories from all brands, including broken and obsolete devices. The program does not refurbish or resell collected devices. Councils can join as collection sites at locations such as libraries, community centres and council buildings.
By The Numbers
- 64.78kg of old mobile phones and accessories were recycled by Rockhampton residents during the past financial year.
- More than 95% of a phone’s materials can be recovered through MobileMuster’s recycling process and used again.
- 12 million unused mobile phones in Australian homes are estimated to no longer work.
Zoom In
Around 22 million unused mobile phones are estimated to be sitting in Australian homes. About 12 million of them no longer work. Maisano said these unused devices offered an opportunity to recover more materials. “Of those phones, around 12 million no longer work. If a device has reached the end of its useful life, there’s little reason to leave it sitting forgotten in a drawer,” she said.
MobileMuster also addresses concerns about personal information on unwanted phones. “We encourage people to back up their information and factory reset their phone where they can, and any data remaining on a device is destroyed when it is recycled,” Maisano said.
Zoom Out
Rockhampton’s result forms part of broader recycling activity across Queensland councils. Cairns Regional Council led the latest collection figures. Moreton Bay Regional Council followed, with Rockhampton Regional Council next.
Longer-term figures also show continued participation across Queensland. Available FY22 to FY26 data places Cairns Regional Council ahead of Brisbane City Council and Sunshine Coast Council.
MobileMuster has responsibly recycled more than 2,000 tonnes of e-waste since 1998. It offers free collection options across Australia. Rural and remote residents can also arrange free post-back options.
What To Look For Next?
MobileMuster hopes Rockhampton can build on its latest result and strengthen its position on Queensland’s council leaderboard next year. “If your council didn’t claim the number one spot this year, there is always next year,” Maisano said.
During September, every phone donated to MobileMuster will also support zoo conservation efforts across Australia. The program will donate $1 for each recycled phone to support primates and their habitats worldwide. The initiative involves Zoos Victoria, Zoos SA, Sydney Zoo and Taronga Zoo.
