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Published on January 6th, 2015 | by Admin

New Year E-Waste Detox

New Year E-Waste Detox

For those looking to rid their homes of the post-Christmas clutter and start afresh in the new year, MobileMuster has 5 top tips for keeping your life e-waste free.

There are already 23 million old mobiles plus their accessories lying idle in homes, ready to be recycled, not to mention old computers, tvs and other gadgets.   With Christmas just past many of us have upgraded our mobiles and gadgets, or given them as gifts, with little thought of what to do with the old ones.

E-waste is the fastest growing waste problem in Australia.  Growing at a rate three times faster than any other waste issue, clogging up our homes and landfills.

So why recycle your old electronics?

  • They are not biodegradable
  • Over 90% of the plastics and metals can be recovered to make new products
  • Lessens the need to mine non-renewable resources
  • Reduces our greenhouse gas emissions
  • Protects our environment
  • Employs people

 

If the 23 million old mobiles plus their batteries and accessories stored in homes were recycled it would mean that

  • 140,00 tonnes less of gold, silver and copper ore would need to be mined
  • 397 tonnes of plastic would be recovered to make new products
  • the greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to that generated by planting over 120,000 trees

 

MobileMuster’s top tips for an E-waste detox:

  1. Have a game plan and organise what you have: Knowing how many spare chargers, adapters and handsets you have will prevent you from making unnecessary purchases. Why buy more items than you need?
  2. Be ruthless: Will you ever use that circa 2007 old CDMA mobile handset again? Probably not, as it doesn’t work on any of the current networks, its time to recycle it.
  3. Your electronics have value: Know that your old electronics have value – but not always in the way you think! They are worthless and a waste gathering dust at home. If you can’t sell them online or trade them in, recycle them as 90% of their materials will be recovered and used to make new objects, saving our environment and employing people.
  4. Remember, it’s easy: Recycling with MobileMuster is simple and free – go to mobilemuster.com.auto find out how and where to recycle your old mobiles and accessories, for all your other electronics either pick up an e-waste recycling box at your nearest Storage King store or go to recyclingnearyou.com.au to find your nearest drop off point.
  5. You’re making a difference:Knowing the positive impact of recycling can be really motivating. Recycling lessens the need to mine non-renewable resources and significantly reduces CO2 emissions.  Not to mention protecting our environment and employing people.

MobileMuster is the only not-for-profit government accredited mobile phone recycling program in Australia. funded by the mobile phone industry and managed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association.


About the Author

andrew@impulsegamer.com'



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