Australian House & Garden 181DISCOVER THE STORY BEHIND
OUR FARMHOUSE
VINTAGE CHEDDARIn the lush green pastures
of Gippsland, Victoria third
generation cheese makers
Ferial and Sam craft this
award winning cheddar the old
way. From the single herd milk
to the hand sprinkling of salt
and the careful wrapping of
each cheese wheel in cloth for
ageing, every step takes place
on their farm. It’s a labour of
love and their cheddar tastes
all the better for it.N
ow is peak phone-buying season,
when thousands of people are
snapping up shiny new mobiles in
sales, adding to the plethora of phones
that turn up under the Christmas tree.
While “that new phone feeling”, as TV
ads would have us call it, is something
many of us love, it’s worth highlighting
the importance of recycling your old
mobiles (plus the chargers, batteries and
accoutrements that come with them).
“Most Australians upgrade or exchange
their mobile phones every 18 to 24
months,” says Rose Read, recycling
manager of MobileMuster, the only
industry-led and government-accredited
mobile-recycling scheme operating in
Australia. “We think there could be more
than 23.5 million unwanted mobiles in
homes around Australia, tucked away in
a drawer or kept ‘just in case’.”
MobileMuster is asking Australians
to start the new year with a clear-out.
“We’re continuing the work we do with the
Salvation Army,” says Read. “For every
kilo of phones and accessories we receive
for recycling between December 1 [2014]
and January 31, we’ll donate $2 to the
Salvation Army’s Christmas Appeal.”
You’ll assist disadvantaged Australians,
and help the environment, too. If mobilephones are not disposed of properly,
some of the nastier materials (such as
mercury, lead, cadmium) can leach into
soil and groundwater.
“The thing about mobiles is that they
are incredibly recyclable,” says Read.
“More than 90 per cent of materials can
be recovered and reused.”
The purpose of MobileMuster's
post-Christmas campaign is to get
people thinking, so that they’ll fi sh out
their old mobile phones while the issue
is fresh in their minds. And sending
your old phones to MobileMuster is a
straightforward process. There are more
than 4000 public collection points across
Australia. You can also post your mobile
to the organisation for free, by either
printing out a reply-paid label from the
MobileMuster website or picking up a
pre-paid satchel from Australia Post.
“We have made the process as simple and
accessible as we can,” says Read.
If you’re concerned about what might
happen to any data that could be le
on your old mobile phone, you needn’t
be. MobileMuster guarantees that all
data is destroyed and that donated
phones are never on-sold. #
For drop-o points and reply-paid labels,
go to http://www.mobilemuster.com.au.RING OUT THE OLD
Start the year by digging out old phones for
recycling. It’s a good call, writes Sarah Pickette.
THE GREEN HOUSEH&G ADVICE