[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-1/5 vc_col-md-1/5 vc_col-xs-1/5″][us_image image=”81834″ size=”thumbnail” align=”left” style=”circle” has_ratio=”1″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″ offset=”vc_col-lg-4/5 vc_col-md-4/5 vc_col-xs-4/5″][vc_column_text]By Annette Madjarian[/vc_column_text][us_post_date][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Hornsby residents have been named Australia’s and the State’s top mobile phone recyclers for the fourth year running.
MobileMuster, the product stewardship program of the telecommunications industry, announced Hornsby Shire’s amazing feat in its 2022 Local Council Awards.
Hornsby Shire residents deposited 670kg of unwanted mobiles and accessories for recycling over 12 months, a 34 per cent increase on the previous year.
Residents recycled the equivalent of 4,085 handsets and batteries, conserving 7.6 tonnes of mineral resources through the recycling process of these devices.
Hornsby Shire Mayor Philip Ruddock said the environmental benefits of recycling those unwanted mobiles and batteries was equivalent to planting 39 trees with avoided co2 emissions equating to 1.5 tonnes.
“To achieve the MobileMuster national title for a fourth time is a testament to our community’s commitment to the environment and residents’ willingness to take positive steps that benefit us all,” Mayor Ruddock said.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported this valuable initiative and helped us retain our position as the nation’s top mobile phone recycler. Keep up the good work Hornsby! Give your old handsets new life by dropping them off at the Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre,” the Mayor said.
The Community Recycling Centre at Thornleigh is a free service for residents to dispose of waste that can’t go into household rubbish bins or kerbside collection. This includes household car and motorcycle batteries, soft and hard plastics, electronic waste, flattened cardboard, polystyrene, gas bottles and mobile phones.
MobileMuster is the product stewardship program of the telecommunications industry. The program recovers more than 95 per cent of the material from old phones and accessories through recycling, which are then used in manufacturing of new products, reducing the need for virgin materials such as aluminium, copper, gold, silver, cobalt and lithium.
Head of MobileMuster Spyro Kalos said local councils played a crucial role in supporting the community to recycle.
