Case Study: Optus + Sircel
Driving the circular economy with e-waste recycling solutions
Over the last four years, Sircel has worked hard to develop a streamlined, nation-wide e-waste recycling supply chain that supports Optus’ sustainability goals.
Optus’s ultimate aim is to make a positive impact on our communities. But they had multiple challenges: how to create an efficient end-to-end e-waste recycling system that sees more than 90% of the e-waste generated? How to help drive a healthy circular economy that turns rubbish into resource?
Prior to working with Sircel, Optus’s recycling supply chain was made up of multiple stakeholders and complex logistics over scattered locations, was making it difficult for Optus to meet its circular economy imperative.
Our Approach
Optus needed Sircel to provide an end-to-end solution that would streamline and consolidate the process, cut costs and deliver measurable improvements to Optus’ ESG commitments, including maintaining their goal of at least 90% waste diversion from landfill and to reuse and recycle over 90% of e-waste.
To deliver this, Sircel has successfully:
1Centralised the supply chain to decommission, extract, transport and recycle all materials under one partner
2Coordinated logistics and pick ups across remote Optus sites
3Worked with trained, local technicians across four states to properly decommission equipment
4Delivered transparent reports to align with internal reporting metrics, showing how much of the telco’s recycled product re-enters the circular economy and how much waste has been diverted from landfill.
Our Results
Since 2021, together Optus and Sircel have achieved:
755 tonnes
of material processed (printed circuit boards, servers and data rooms, cables, computer hardware and mixed electronics)
50 tonnes
of equipment from two exchange sites (Mitchell and Riverwood recycled and returned to the circular economy
100%
of hard plastic recycled and returned to the circular economy to become a wide range of RES8 plastic products
95%
of all materials diverted from landfill
Recovery of valuable commodities including copper, aluminum and steel
Reuse of materials in new products incl. plastic construction rock alternatives, steel infrastructure and reinforcements, and various aluminium parts in manufacturing
What's next
Together, Sircel and Optus are actively expanding the program and looking to apply the approach to other technical and infrastructure upgrades, beyond the exchanges. We expect to see similar diversion from landfill results and to drive a move from a ‘take, make, dispose’ model, to one that is restorative and regenerative. With a holistic waste management strategy and program in place, we can extend product lifecycles, improve e-waste recycling rates, and reduce harmful impacts to communities and the environment.
Read more about Optus’ sustainability goals in its latest Sustainability Report at optus.com.au/about/sustainability/reporting
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