Reverse Garbage has partnered up with Taronga Zoo to call on you to donate your old mobile phones, chargers, tablets and digital cameras to help the gorillas – and you answered.
Last week, RG Creative Director, Kirsten Junor, visited the gorillas and Taronga’ Darcie Carruthers to deliver the 24 phones and an Ipad donated by RG customers.
“We’re really excited about this partnership’s focus on reuse,” said Kirsten. “I know there are a lot of retailers and mobile phone companies who collect and recycle old mobiles, but Taronga’s program with PhoneCycle focuses on reuse before recycle – which is precisely what we are all about.”
PhoneCycle favours reuse because it reduces the need for raw materials to be mined from the gorillas’ habitats, and reduces the energy used in manufacturing new products. It also provides vital communications to people that cannot afford new phones.
Taronga donates all money raised from refurbished and recycled phones to support the Jane Goodall Institute of Australia’s essential primate conservation work in Africa.
If a mobile phone cannot be reused, then over 95% of their materials can be recycled. Minerals and ores such as coltan are mined out of the gorillas’ habitat and used in the creation of mobile phones. This mining is accelerating the decline in gorilla numbers and at least 10 other African primate species.
By simply dropping your devices to Reverse Garbage or the zoo you are helping the gorillas by:
- reducing the demand for further mining of gorilla habitat
- raising money for conservation projects in central Africa
- keeping this hazardous waste out of landfill.
The gorilla’s pout and pose in the background of our publicity photos is a reminder that they are one of our closest living relatives. They have a genetic makeup almost 98% similar to humans. Sadly, vast areas of their habitat have been lost through deforestation for the timber and mining industries.
This is an ongoing partnership. Please drop in your mobile phones, chargers, tablets and digital cameras to Reverse Garbage the next time you come by.
Click here if you’d like to find out more about this program.
