Recent international market research conducted by Nokia of 6,500 people from 13 countries across the globe - excluding Australia - found that 3% of people recycle their mobile phones. Australian online market research conducted by IPSOS on behalf of AMTA in February 2008 of 650 mobile phone users in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth found that 6% of people recycled their previous mobile phone, twice the level internationally.

AMTA Recycling Manager, Rose Read, said the main reason Australia’s recycling rate was double other countries was awareness of mobile phone recycling in Australia is more than 75%, whereas in many other countries it is less than 50%.

The initial market research conducted by AMTA in 2005 found the major reasons why people didn’t recycle were that they unaware of the program, unsure of collection points and did not know that over 90% of the materials can be recovered.

Ms Read said: “This is why over the past three years AMTA through its official recycling program, MobileMuster, has invested more than $10 million to increase awareness and to make mobile phone recycling more accessible to Australians.

“Since launching MobileMuster in late 2005, a greater proportion of discarded phones are being recycled - up from 17% to 27% - and the collection rate of net imports increased from 3% to 6%. Awareness of mobile phone recycling has gone up from 46% to more than 75% and the rate of disposal to landfill has dropped from 9% to 4%.

“The number of public recycling points has trebled from 1000 to more than 3000 and the type of public collection points has diversified to include local councils, banks and other retail networks nationwide, in addition to main stream mobile phone retailers.

“Free recycling services, promotional materials and educational activities are available to schools, businesses and government agencies and free postage paid recycling satchels are also available from Australia Post outlets nationwide.

“Mobile phone uses can now also download a free postage paid mailing label from the MobileMuster website and some manufacturers also include postage paid recycling satchels or mailing labels in their new mobile phone packs.

Fewer people are also keeping two or more mobile phones at home - down from 38% to 32% - and trials to collect mobile phones using the existing kerbside system have commenced.

“Although these achievements are very positive the industry recognises that the recycling rate should be much higher.”

Ms Read said one of the key barriers to lifting the recycling rate is people’s desire to keep their old phones, even if they are not working. Like most people across the globe, Australians were also very good at holding on to their old mobile phones, with nearly 80% of mobile phone users either keeping their mobile phone (even if not working) or passing it on to family, friends or charity for reuse.

“This is an interesting challenge for the mobile phone industry because it suggests that most people value their mobile phones and therefore don’t throw them away unlike more disposable items such bottles, paper and cans. However, by leaving them in storage at home, vital plastic and metal resources that could be recycled and used to replace raw materials and, therefore, avoid greenhouse gas emissions are lying dormant. Similarly, the probability of these mobile phones ending up in landfill increases the longer they are in storage,” she said.

“As shown by many other recycling programs, awareness and ease of recycling are critical to the success of any program.”

Ms Read said over the next five years AMTA and its members, through its whole-of-industry recycling program, MobileMuster, are committed to further increasing the annual collection rate of discarded phones to more than 80% and the annual collection rate of net imports to more than 20%.

Efforts would also continue to decrease the disposal to landfill to less than 2% and the personal storage rate of two or more phones to less than 18%, while increasing awareness to more than 85%.

Courtesy: Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association

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Posted by Naresh Koshti on 1 August, 2008 11:29:40 AM IST #