FEATURED TOPIC – E-WASTE
MobileMuster expands LEADING PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM MOBILEMUSTER IS ADDING THREE NEW E-WASTE STREAMS TO ITS COLLECTION SERVICES.
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ince 1998, MobileMuster has diverted more than 1700 tonnes of mobile phones and accessories from landfill. Now the product stewardship program is dialling up the intensity. Answering a call to add to Australia’s move to a circular economy, MobileMuster is providing a smart solution for growing e-waste streams in home technology and landlines. Modems, routers, smart speakers, tracking tags and VR headsets will no longer be tossed aside in desk drawers, in a box in the garage or a cupboard in the spare room. And certainly not into the bin. Spyro Kalos, Head of MobileMuster, says adding the waste streams to the
industry-led product stewardship scheme is a reflection of the changing nature of the challenge related to electronic waste and the increasingly diverse range of products available as technology evolves. He says that independent research conducted on behalf of Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) found that for every 1.6 modems in use in Australia, there is one being stored and not in use. For every 2.1 smart devices in use, another is being stored. In total, more than 20.1 million devices are being stored in homes across the country. “In the past 10 years, the rate of e-waste generated each year in Australia has more than doubled,” Spyro says.
“With the amount of electronic waste sitting in people’s drawers, MobileMuster is looking to change the way Australians look at waste more broadly, protect the environment, and ensure effective recycling strategies are in place to meet future industry demand for new products. This expansion shows we are continuing to deliver on that promise.” The recent E-Product Stewardship in Australia Report, produced for the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment, found that in 2019, 975,000 tonnes of e-products were estimated to have entered the Australian market, while 521,000 tonnes of e-waste were generated, equating to 20.4 kilograms of e-waste on a per
MobileMuster is adding home technology and landline waste streams to the product stewardship scheme.
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