According to the National Waste Policy, 16.8 million televisions and computer equipment reached their “end of life” in 2007/08- of these, a staggering 84% were sent to landfill and only 10% were recycled. As Australia prepares to switch off analogue signals by the end of 2013 and switch over to digital television, this number will increase dramatically as the country begins to send a staggering amount of hazardous, electronic waste to landfill.
Kerbside Recycling & Television Collections
Recent research indicates that 90% of Australian households have access to regular kerbside recycling of materials such as plastic, paper and glass with a large majority making use of these services. However, the Australian Bureau of Statistics states that electronic waste is growing three times more than the rate of general domestic waste suggesting that Australia is in need of a similar kerbside, electronic waste collection. With the digital switch imminent, this figure is set to rise even further.
Television is a constantly evolving technology and consumers are always hungry for more.
There is no denying that digital television will be a huge breakthrough for Australian technology; it will allow those in rural areas with poor analogue signal to connect to the world through the small screen and will improve viewing and programming quality for all Australians. As a country we are further behind many European countries, as well as America, who are already well into their transition from analogue to digital.
Viewers do have the option to add a set top box to their existing television sets however, many old analogue televisions will not have the appropriate connections and, with the introduction of newer technology such as High Definition TV, many will opt for an upgrade with built in digital and HD technology. But, what will happen to these discarded televisions?
Sending your Ewaste to landfill is a waste; TV’s, like computers and white goods, can be recycled.
By throwing televisions into skip bins we are not only wasting valuable landfill space, but we’re also throwing away valuable non-renewable materials. Televisions are 98% recyclable and contain materials such as zinc, nickel and copper. All of which, through a careful recycling process, can be recovered and reused.
After much pressure from the larger electronic manufacturers, the Australian Government has agreed to implement the Product Stewardship Scheme which passes the responsibility of recycling back to the manufacturer. Under this scheme, consumers will pay a small amount on purchase and will then be able to return their ewaste to the manufacturer once the item reaches its end of life.
Too little, too late?
This innovative new programme will hopefully see an increase in electronic waste recycling but won’t be fully operational until 2011. The scheme will also only provide funding for newly purchased items and does not take into account the millions of analogue televisions that are already being discarded. It’s also too late for the 61% of Australians that have already made the transition to digital television, whose new televisions may not be protected under the proposed scheme.
According to the 2006 Consensus, there were over 7.5 million private dwellings in Australia containing an average of 22 electrical items (including white goods) per household. Taking into account population and housing growth over the last four years, Ewaste predicts that there are enough electronic items in Australian households to fill 1.3 million semi trailers – lined up that makes 17,000 km of Ewaste. To put that into perspective, that’s enough ewaste to reach all the way from Sydney to London, England. This doesn’t even begin to take into account commercial ewaste from businesses; how many more computers, printers, monitors, fax machines, phone sets, scanners and photocopiers do you think they own? And, unless the Australian Government do something to solve our growing Ewaste problem soon, the vast majority is heading for the dump…
How you can recycle your analogue televisions and other electronic goods NOW.
In the mean time, 1800ewaste is Australia’s leading ewaste collection and recycling service and we’re passionate about diverting as much electronic equipment from landfill as possible. We believe in prolonging the lifespan of valuable materials by recycling all that we can. Currently 95-98%, by weight, of all the materials we collect is recycled for future use. Our service is professional, fast and reliable; we’ll come to you, collect your Ewaste and deliver it to the appropriate recycling facility. 1800ewaste only recycles with ISO14001 accredited Australian recycling facilities.
If you’re interested in having your Ewaste recycled please give us a call today on 1800 39 27 83.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have got an old Sharp CRT television from 1982~83 that is still in perfect working order. It was given to me a few years ago when I moved into my newly purchased property as I did not have any electrical goods at the time.
I’ve since replaced it with a larger CRT unit that was also given to me from another friend, but as the prior unit was still in working order, I thought it a shame to dispose of it on the nature strip during hard rubbish collection week and hoped to find it another home for someone in need of a temporary television set.
So far, I’ve been unsuccessful in finding someone who would take it, and am reluctantly considering putting it out on the next hard rubbish collection date. Though the problem being that these items are vulnerable to being used as objects to cause damage and trouble by louts looking to break things and have seen a lot of sets put out for collection with shattered screens with glass and other bits spread everywhere by the kerbside which can be dangerous to everyone.
Hence, I’ve been looking for a safer and more effective alternative to dispose the television set and other electrical items and a recycling facility and service such as the one you’re offering here seems to be the most sensible solution. I also do have an old DVD player still in working order that I wanted to dispose of effectively as well and eventually, the current CRT set and VHS/DVD player when they stop working or are to be replaced.
What are the procedures in arranging the collection of the items, and is there a charge or fee to collecting the electronic waste, and if so, how much will it cost me? Any other additional and useful information will be greatly appreciated.
Yours Sincerely,
Julio La Monica.
Hi Julio,
Unfortunately leaving your Ewaste on the street for hard rubbish collections does sometimes leave it open to vandalism, and you’ll also find that many councils and tips have started refusing to take electronic waste in order to encourage people to recycle or reuse. We would be more than happy to assist you with getting rid of your television; if you give our office a call on 1800 392 783 (freetoll) they will be able to organise a collection for you.
Thank you for your enquiry.
I stumbled across your website, and am impressed by what you do. But your site appears to be silent on one significant issue – namely – is there a cost associated with this? While I am happy to pay a nominal amount to have this stuff disposed of properly, is there an advantage to consolidating a lot of stuff? Or can it be dropped off somewhere?
Roman
Hi Roman,
We dont have any drop off points and offer a collection service only. There is a fee associated which covers not just the collection but also the cost of recycling. It’s best to give the office a call on 1800 392 783 (toll free) as prices can often vary depending on size/weight of items, so it’s difficult to post one specific price on the website. Or you can complete our online estimate form and someone will be in touch.
Thanks for your enquiry.
Great incentive, and commendable , because the E- waste certainly needs big attention.
Would it be helpfull if there was some levy on all electronic equipment at the time of purchase, to go towards the cost of recycling ?
Thanks for your feedback Mrs Kuiken. A levy at the time of purchase is part of the incentive under Product Stewardship, but this won’t be in force until some time in 2011. Hopefully it will encourage more people to recycle their obsolute televisions though.