AMTA’s recycling program, Mobilemuster, will be involved with grassroots community events in Victoria and New South Wales this weekend to promote the importance of mobile phone recycling with key local government recycling partners.

On Sunday, the Barham River Festival will be held at Apollo Bay, Victoria, and thousands of residents from the Colac Otway region are expected to attend. Mobilemuster will be support Colac Otway Council with giveaways and information materials to help deliver the recycling message.

Also on Sunday, more than 100 delegates from 13 councils will attend the Western Division Group of the Shires Association of NSW in Balranald, and Mobilemuster will exhibit and support Local Government partners. The Western Division Councils account for 60% of the area of N.S.W.

Local Government is a valuable contributor to the success of MobileMuster, both through setting up collection points in Council Offices, Libraries, Transfer Stations and, most importantly, promoting the recycling message to their residents, schools and businesses.

More recently local councils have partnered with MobileMuster and FM Recycling to set up innovative kerbside collection services that include mobile phones such as Moonee Valley’s Renew program or the Hunter Resource Recovery’s Lifecycle program or the Eurobodalla Shire Council, which has included mobile phones in its existing kerbside recycling service as a result of the cooperation of their recycler, WSN Environmental Services.

Two hundred and ninety one councils (with 737 locations) participate in the program with 163 returning a collection of mobile phones, batteries, accessories and chargers in the past 12 months.

In 2007-08, Local Councils collected almost 4,000 kgs – a 248% increase on the previous year (4% of total collections).