City of Greater Geraldton, Media Release, 10 March 2022

Disposing of e-waste products such as batteries and mobile phones has just gotten even easier, with Woolworths joining the ranks of eco-conscious businesses who provide recycling units at their local stores.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor applauded the move.

“E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in Australia, and the Midwest is no exception,” he said.

“It’s estimated 345 million batteries are used in Australia every year, but a staggering 94% of those are not recycled.

“It’s great to see more private enterprises getting on board with recycling efforts.

Woolworths are the latest supermarket chain to partner with with Ecobatt and MobileMuster to provide recycling points in Geraldton.

Local Rigters IGA stores have been facilitating similar programs for quite some time.

“We are also a collection point for mobile phones here at the Civic Centre,” Mayor Van Styn added.

“It’s estimated that there are 24.5 million unused phones collecting dust throughout Australian homes, and closer to home Meru Landfill sends approximately 20 tonnes of E-waste for recycling each year.

“I strongly encourage anyone who may have any old batteries or phones lying around to take advantage of these easily available drop off points.”

All batteries contain harmful substances that can damage the environment when disposed of improperly.

Woolworths battery and mobile phone recycling units can be found at both Geraldton and Seacrest stores.

Larger e-waste products that cannot be recycled may be disposed of at Meru Landfill.

The City remains committed to moving towards net carbon zero emissions plan for all operations by 2030.

Statistics provided by Woolworths: https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/sustainability/recycling-unit