Recycling 115,369 mobile phones for gorilla conservation over a six-year period (2009-2014) at Zoos Victoria: A case study of 'points of influence' and mobile phone donations

Title	Recycling 115,369 mobile phones for gorilla conservation over a six-year period (2009-2014) at Zoos Victoria: A case study of 'points of influence' and mobile phone donations
Authors	Carla A. Litchfield, Rachel Lowry, Jill Dorrian
Magazine	PLoS ONE
Date	12/05/2018
DOI	10.1371/journal.pone.0206890
Introduction	Globally, more than seven billion mobile phones are in use, with over a billion older devices likely to be retired. The hoarding of these phones presents a significant obstacle to sustainable circular economies. Retired phones can be refurbished or dismantled to extract valuable elements, including 'conflict' metals such as coltan, containing tantalum and niobium, which are mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and threaten the eastern Grauer's gorillas. Zoos Victoria supports western gorillas as ambassadors for these endangered counterparts through a social marketing initiative. By tracking barcodes on recycled phone satchels, the efficiency of various influence points in the 'They're Calling on You' campaign at Zoos Victoria was assessed. Over six years, 115,369 phones were donated, with significant contributions from the Courier Collect initiative and static displays at Melbourne Zoo. Keeper talks also proved effective in engaging visitors with conservation efforts. Our findings suggest that conservation organisations, alongside corporate and community partners, can effectively encourage phone recycling, setting the stage for global collaborations to enhance scale and impact.
Quote	Carla A. Litchfield, Rachel Lowry and Jill Dorrian. Recycling 115,369 mobile phones for gorilla conservation over a six-year period (2009-2014) at Zoos Victoria: A case study of 'points of influence' and mobile phone donations. PLoS ONE. 2018. Vol. 13(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206890
Element	Tantalum (Ta) , Niobium (Nb)