Recycle your tech and help save the planet with Mobile Muster

There's never been a better time to recycle your old tech at an Optus Store. March is Go for Zero month, MobileMuster’s nationwide challenge to recycle broken and unused mobile phones and accessories. 

A cleaner and greener tomorrow

The planet needs our help, and at Optus we’re all for that. So, we’re continuing to support MobileMuster’s Go for ZERO campaign – 1 March to 31 March, 2022. We can all play our part in turning our out-of-date devices and accessories into reusable material to help the environment.

Doing our bit for the future

Go for ZERO makes it easy to recycle our old electronic devices (our e-waste). You can drop off your old mobile phones, chargers and modems at some 3,000 drop off locations including Optus stores, nationally.

So, stop for a moment and think about the old tech you have at home, and then make a commitment to take some action.

And think beyond just mobile phones. Parents can get the kids to throw out all their old PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. Dad can get rid of that ancient Blackberry mobile he's been hanging onto in case it makes a comeback and the whole family can clear out the set-top boxes, cables and modems they’ve collected over the years.

It’s time to think “green” and recycle your e-waste, by taking it in to your closest Optus store.

Go green with Go for Zero

Go for Zero is MobileMuster’s nationwide challenge to recycle broken and unused mobile phones.  Its research shows that over 4.2 million mobile phones don’t even work anymore. This means we’re stockpiling materials that can be recovered and re-used in the manufacturing of new products. 

According to Helen Maisano, Director, Group Sustainability, “Optus has been a proud support of MobileMuster since the program was launched in 1999 and the benefits are impressive. In the 2020-21 calendar year alone, Optus was able to divert almost 4.6 tonnes from equipment donations to our stores and other outlets.

“What’s more there’s about 4.2 million broken and unused mobiles lying around homes across Australia. If these were to be recycled, we’d save 8,274 tonnes of minerals resources. Last year MobileMuster recycled 800,000 mobiles and their batteries. We’re hoping this year will be an even better result.

“So, for the month of March Optus is asking all Australians to look around their house, attic or garage to find these broken phones and other equipment like modems and recycle them with MobileMuster,” Helen says.

The benefits of recycling

MobileMuster will dismantle all the devices in Australia and recover over 95% of the materials.

The components are sorted into glass, plastics and metals so they can be processed separately. By using a combination of techniques including shredding, crushing, heating and smelting, the process is able to maximise our resource recovery. By collecting and reusing materials, we can cut the demand on new resources and ensure we have the lowest environmental impact possible.

What you can recycle

During the Go for Zero campaign in March you’ll be able to recycle old mobile phones and accessories.

Any data left on your old electronics will be destroyed through the recycling process. As a precaution for anyone making a deposit, we recommend that all devices that carry any data should be prepared before recycling. If your device is still working, we encourage you to remove any information and perform a factory reset before recycling.

Here's some tips for preparing your iPhone or Android phone.

Ready to recycle?

The Go for Zero runs until the end of March. Anyone can get involved in the recycling initiative. It’s a fast, free and convenient way to recycle, by simply dropping off your old electronic e-waste at an Optus store.

Find your nearest store with the Optus Store locator and drop off your old phones, modems and game consoles. Or for more information, visit mobilemuster.com.au