• Taronga’s, Community Impact and Guest Learning Manager, Belinda Fairbrother:
  “This International Primate Day, we’re reminding everyone that a small action – recycling an old phone – can have a powerful impact. Through the ‘They’re Calling On You’ campaign, every device donated directly helps protect endangered primates, like Chimpanzees, Gorillas and Siamang in the wild. It’s a simple step anyone can take to keep valuable materials out of landfill and support real conservation on the ground.”

  • 59,000 phones have been donated and over $100,000 has been raised through Taronga’s campaign.

• Zoos Victoria CEO, Dr Jenny Gray:
  “For more than a decade, we’ve proudly partnered with Gorilla Doctors, supporting their vital work to protect our precious primate relatives in the wild. This International Primate Day, we’re calling on Victorians to take action—donate your old mobile phones at any of our four zoos, drop them in our marked recycling bins, and help make a real difference for gorillas.”

  • Every donated phone raises funds for the Gorilla Doctors, the only organisation able to provide veterinary care to injured or ill gorillas in the wild.

    • 5 phones = health monitoring of a baby gorilla for a day.

    • 10 phones = petrol needed for Gorilla Doctors to reach the forest edges before hiking in to monitor the health of gorillas.

    • 50 phones = anaesthetic to help provide veterinary care to an injured or ill gorilla

    • 100 phones = a full set of rain gear allowing Gorilla Doctors to work in bad weather.

• Zoos SA Chief Executive, Dr Phil Ainsley:
  “We’re proud to partner with Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone, dedicated to enforcing wildlife laws and providing a safe haven and rehabilitation for rescued chimpanzees – primarily orphans under five years old.  They’re Calling on You to help by recycling your old mobile phones, which not only helps to reduce habitat encroachment but also contributes vital funds towards Tacugama’s essential work. When it comes to conservation, this is one of the simple actions that can make a big difference – simply drop your old phones into the marked boxes at Adelaide Zoo or Monarto Safari Park to support a better future for this incredible species.”

• Sydney Zoo Conservation and Community Manager, Liz Gerber:
  “By recycling their old phones through the They’re Calling On You program, zoo visitors are directly contributing to the protection of wild chimpanzees and other threatened wildlife. Diverting phones from landfill and embracing a circular economy helps reduce the demand for minerals sourced from critical habitats in Central Africa. Each phone recycled at Sydney Zoo supports forest restoration, raises public awareness, and funds the care of orphaned chimpanzees impacted by habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade.”

What Australians can do today

Give your old phone a second life, keep precious materials in the loop and help protect critically endangered habitats by:

1. Looking on https://www.mobilemuster.com.au/recycle-a-mobile/ to find your nearest drop off point or print a label to send it to MobileMuster free of charge.

2. OR visit any of the participating zoos to drop old phones at their collection bins

3. Before you recycle, sell or give away your mobile phone, you should remove your personal information. All data will be destroyed during the recycling process, but where possible, it is recommended to perform a factory-reset beforehand. Details of how to do this are on the MobileMuster website.

4. Simply send it in or drop it off at a collection point.

About MobileMuster

MobileMuster is the Australian mobile industry’s product stewardship program, managed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) and accredited by the Federal Government. The program provides a free, safe and secure way to recycle mobile phones and accessories to the highest environmental standards.