Students from Glen Waverley South Primary School in Victoria were today presented with their prizes for winning the 2009 MobileMuster ‘Old Phones, New Fence Posts’ Schools Recycling Challenge. The school faced more than 400 schools in the competition and collected 97kg of mobile phones and accessories for recycling.
Geoff Lake, local City of Monash councillor and president of the Australian Local Government Association, presented the prizes to the school.
The Challenge created by the official recycling program of the mobile phone industry, MobileMuster, encouraged students to round up and recycle old and unused mobile phones lying around at home.
For every 5kg of old mobiles handed in for recycling by schools from 1 May and until World Environment Day – June 5, MobileMuster and Australia Composite Technology (ACT) pledged to donate 1 Plasmar plastic fence post to communities affected by the Victorian bushfires.
Rose Read, Manager of the Australian Mobile Telecommunication Association’s (AMTA), mobile phone recycling program, MobileMuster, said Glen Waverley South Primary School in Victoria rounded up an incredible 97kg of mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories. This equates to 496 handsets, 13 times the average school collection of 7kg.
“As a result, 720 Plasmar plastic fence posts have been donated to fence more than 5km of property and creek boundaries in the Baw Baw Shire Council and Kinglake areas.
“We congratulate the students of Glen Waverley South Primary School for their fantastic recycling efforts. It is wonderful to see them working together with their teachers and families to help the environment as well as local farmers and schools whose property were devastated by the bush fires,” said Ms Read.
In recognition of their efforts, Glen Waverley South Public School will receive a Samsung 42” HD Plasma TV courtesy of Samsung Australia and a National School Champion certificate.
“Over 90% of the materials found in mobile phones can be recovered and used to make new products. The plastics from the handsets and chargers are shredded and combined with other plastics to make Plasmar fence posts, made locally in Melbourne by Australia Composite Technology (ACT). This includes the plastic fence posts which have been donated to Labertouche Primary, Middle Kinglake Primary Schools and a number of local farmers in the Baw Baw Shire area,” concluded Ms Read.
Other State winners in the MobileMuster ‘Old Phones, New Fence Posts’ Schools Recycling
Challenge were:
- TAS – St Mary’s College, Hobart – 3kg
- NT – Woodroffe Primary School, Woodroffe,– 12kg
- ACT – Holy Family Primary School Gowrie, Gowrie – 16kg
- WA – Beaumaris Primary School, Ocean Reef – 27kg
- NSW – International Grammar School, Ultimo – 29kg
- QLD – Yarrilee State School, Hervey Bay – 38kg
- SA – Reynella Primary School, Old Reynella – 80kg
For their efforts, each school and their students received a School Champion certificate and every school that handed in 8kgs of old mobiles and accessories or more for recycling received a Milton Mobile Reward Pack, consisting of 30 backpacks, stationary pack and slap band wrist watches.
Bradley Marsh, from Reynella Primary School, SA has been awarded the National MobileMuster Honor Roll Champion for collecting a massive 850 mobile phone handsets. Bradley has won a Family Experience Pack to the value of $250.
MobileMuster is a year round free program, so residents can continue to hand in their old mobile phones, batteries, accessories and chargers for recycling at any one of MobileMuster’s 3,500 drop-off points nationally. Alternatively they can pick up a free recycling satchel from participating Australia Post outlets or downloading a free reply paid label from www.mobilemuster.com.au
To find your nearest MobileMuster drop off point or to download a free mailing label go to www.mobilemuster.com.au or call 1300 730 070.
|
