Lake Macquarie residents do love a good environmental scheme, and the latest evidence of this is data showing it is among the Top 5 cities in NSW for mobile phone recycling.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
More than 700 handsets and accessories have been saved from landfill in Lake Macquarie in the 2017-2018 financial year.
The city has again been named a Top Collector finalist in the Mobile Muster Local Government Awards - an annual program recognising high achieving councils across Australia.
Senior waste officer Hal Dobbins said Lake Mac residents handed in more than 140kg of mobile handsets, chargers and batteries for recycling in the 2017-2018 financial year.
"This is a fantastic result and reflects the dedication our city has to recycling and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill," Mr Dobbins said.
"But we can always do more. Many households have obsolete or broken phones sitting in a cupboard or drawer, and I'd urge them to drop their handsets and mobile phone accessories off to any of our community recycling stations."
Lake Macquarie City Council operates community recycling stations at six Lake Mac Libraries branches, its Speers Point administration building, and its Works Depot at Boolaroo.
Lake Macquarie residents have become enthusiastic participants in green schemes such as solar energy and Climate Change Fund rebates, as well as green activities including the annual Living Smart Festival and the volunteer work of Landcare. (There's more than 200 Landcare groups across Lake Macquarie.)
Mobile Muster, meanwhile, is an Australian Government-accredited program funded by major handset manufacturers and network carriers to provide a free mobile recycling service to the highest environmental standard.
Nationwide, the program collected and recycled 90 tonnes of mobile phone components in the 2018 calendar year - equivalent to about 1.2 million handsets and batteries.
Other Top Collector NSW finalists include Hornsby Shire Council, Lismore City Council, Liverpool City Council and Randwick City Council.
Winners will be announced at the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly, in Canberra, in June.
