Qld: Mobile phone users urged to recycle old phones

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2005
Qld: Mobile phone users urged to recycle old phones

The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association says Australians should consider
recycling their old mobile phones.

ROSE READ .. who's the spokeswoman for the AMTA's MobileMuster program .. says mobile
phones contain many valuable materials .. like plastics .. silver .. gold and nickel.

And she says there's about one kilo of gold .. in every 50 thousand handsets.

Ms ROSE says more than 90 per cent of the materials in mobile phone handsets .. batteries
and accessories can be recycled into new products .. like jewellery .. fence posts and
stainless steel.





She's warning mobiles aren't biodegradable .. so they shouldn't be thrown in the rubbish
bin .. to end up in landfill .. where they could harm the environment.

Ms ROSE says old mobile phones can be dropped off for recycling at many local mobile
phone retail outlets.

AAP RTV rl/tm/rj

KEYWORD: MOBILE (BRISBANE)

2005 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.