PRESS RELEASE

E-Waste Systems Enters Australia with 1800eWaste

First of a Series of ePlant1000™ technology and global brand deployment

London, UK. – 14 May, 2013 — E-Waste Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: EWSI), an electronic waste management and reverse logistics company and the first public pure eWaste company announced today expansion plans into Australia and the southern hemisphere. EWSI signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding with 1800eWaste, Ltd (“1800eWaste”), Australia’s leading electronic waste collection and recycling service provider, which is intended to result in deployment of EWSI’s ePlant1000™ technology.

“With the launch of this effort, we will begin to establish our eWaste brand into the southern hemisphere supported by a highly professional team in Australia,” stated Martin Nielson, CEO of EWSI. “The Australian market is undergoing major legislative changes and the timing of this deal is ideal. Together with 1800eWaste, we will be at the forefront of the changes leading the standard while simultaneously extending our eWaste brand in support of the highest eWaste standards,” added Mr. Nielson.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia is the 10th largest user of technology worldwide, and the problem created by e-waste is mounting. In Australia, electronic waste, or e-waste, is growing at three times the rate of general waste. The cumulative volume of televisions and computers reaching the end of their useful life is expected to reach 181,000 tonnes, or 44 million units by 2027, and presently only about 10-12% of all end-of-life electronic equipment is recycled, with much of the balance going to landfills.

“The collaboration between EWSI and 1800eWaste is designed to seize the Australian market opportunity by establishing our eWaste brand and technology as the standard and to exert added pressure to enact the legislation being debated,” stated Mr. Nielson.

“This is another strategic milestone for EWSI due to Australia’s geographical position and it being a global leader in environmental solutions. In addition, 1800eWaste and its founders provide solid credentials in the Australian market with established ewaste operations. Established more than 18 years ago, 1800eWaste is one of the most significant waste collectors in Australia and is further expanding its own operations via a mix of owned and franchised operations,” added Mr. Nielson.

“We are looking forward to working with EWSI to come up with a great solution of which we can be proud. We have an excellent existing operation which we intend to grow and we would like to do so with the EWSI team,” said Geordie Gill, CEO of 1800eWaste, and one of the three brothers who founded the firm.

The deal involves an eWaste brand license and deployment of a state-of-the-art electronic waste recycling plant in the Sydney area. 1800eWaste is a mature operator of waste recycling in Australia and this license, along with the EWSI technology, will extend their current efforts to include a wider array of electronics. These services are intended to be marketed under the eWaste™ and 1800ewaste™ joint brands. EWSI is also expecting to negotiate rights to the 1800ewaste™ brand in other jurisdictions with the intent of expanding its brand portfolio.

As part of EWSI’s 2013 global brand deployment plan, there are a number of similar initiatives now underway and EWSI expects that agreements in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and India will complement its North American portfolio of brand affiliates. China is also progressing very well and more brand licenses and technology expansion is expected there in the near future.

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Geordie and his team,” said Mr. Nielson. “The business they have built over the years has become a trusted service provider and recognized brand in Australia and it seems it’s growing from strength to strength. This license and technology acquisition perfectly complements elements of our announced goals for 2013 of growing our global brand and expanding our technologies,” said Mr. Nielson.

The terms of the transaction will be filed with the SEC on Form 8-K.

Industry Expansion

The e-waste and reverse logistics market has become a $100B+ annual business (Source: Blumberg Associates), excluding much of the resale of still usable goods that flood the marketplace as new updates in software and hardware are released. Furthermore, as environmental legislation and policies sets more stringent requirements for the disposal of these items, many analysts and practitioners expect e-waste to grow faster than any other waste stream over the next 5 years. The benefits of e-waste management and recycling are many, including conservation of natural resources, creation of new jobs, prevention of environmental contamination by toxic chemicals, and reduction of energy requirements.

About E-Waste Systems, Inc.

E-Waste Systems, Inc. is the sole pure play public company in the emerging waste electrical and electronics equipment (“WEEE”) industry. EWSI targets companies facing regulatory or other mandates for handling e-waste. EWSI operates and assists its large geographical network of affiliates, applying best practices in professional management, offering state-of-the-art engineering, and providing a truly global e-waste solution. Additional information, including the business plan summary, is available on the Company’s website: www.ewastesystems.com.

Safe Harbor Statement: Certain statements and information in this release constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in such statements. Additional discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management’s projections, estimates and expectations is contained in the Company’s SEC filings. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or developments, except as required by federal securities laws.

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.

Originally posted 2010-05-31 15:20:10.

Computer recycling protects more than just the environment

In such a digitally advanced world, most of our personal information can now be accessed at the click of a button. From social media sites to online banking, there has never been so much sensitive information on our computers, mobile phones and laptops. So when it comes to throwing away your obsolete electronics, we may need to think carefully about where we dump them.

You wouldn’t throw your old passport onto the street, so why leave your old computer and e-waste on the kerb?

Fraud has become a very real and very expensive threat to people all over the world, and costs Australians more than $2.2 billion every year according to official statistics. For this reason, it’s recommended that we shred old bills, keep PIN numbers private and never to disclose too much personal information over the phone or to companies that contact us directly. The rules are endless, but when it comes to discarding our old electronics, we seem more than happy to leave our old computers on the kerbside – an invite for even the most basic hacker to come and steal our most private information.

Companies and businesses don’t just put their own information at risk – irresponsibly disposing of your electronic waste can cost your customers too.

For companies and businesses, it’s important to remember that our computers might not just contain our own personal information, but also our clients too. Whether you work in pharmaceuticals, banking, or construction, your clients share confidential information with you that they certainly wouldn’t want getting into the wrong hands. Consider Sony and how much their embarrassing hacking scandal must have cost them – it’s certainly not something you want happening to you.
Computer Recycling – Data destruction and e waste recycling – go hand in hand.

Whilst we usually preach about the importance of responsibly recycling your electronic waste, the threat of fraud adds another dimension to why recycling your electronic waste should be high up on your radar. When looking for an ewaste recycler, check their data destruction policy. Some might just offer data wiping or re formatting, you should aim to use a company that offers physical data destruction. In this process, hard drives are taken apart hand by hand and then shredded so that it would be impossible to rebuild, let alone retrieve information.

Computer Recycling done right

Don’t be a victim of identity theft or fraud, make sure your electronic waste recycler is destroying your data effectively.

1800ewaste recycle as much as possible, currently 95-98% (by weight) of all collected ewaste is fully recycled into secondary materials for future use. Deleted files can be retrieved off a hard-drive. 1800eWaste physically destroy your hard drive so no information will every be found.

The process is detailed here. Hard drives are shredded to prepare the ewaste to be thoroughly sorted. The small debris is shaken to ensure that it is evenly spread out on the conveyor belt, before it gets broken down even more.

Call 1800ewaste (1800 392 783) or fill in our online booking form.

First launched in August 2006 and now in its 9^th edition, the Greenpeace ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’ ranks the leaders of the mobile phone, computer, TV and games console markets according to their policies and practices on toxic chemicals, recycling and energy.

The Greenpeace website states “The Greener Electronics Guide is our way of getting the electronics industry to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products. We want them to face up to the problem of e-waste and take on the challenge of tackling climate change.

The Guide has been a key driving force in getting many companies to make significant improvements to their environmental policies, and it continues to provoke significant change in the industry.

We want to see an end to the stories of unprotected child labourers scavenging mountains of cast-off gadgets created by society’s gizmo-loving ways.

With more companies now scoring higher than 5 out of 10 – the halfway mark in the ranking – a company that rises to the challenge of phasing out toxic chemicals, increasing the recycling rate of e-waste, using recycled materials in new products and reducing its impact on climate change could soon find itself winning the race to produce the world’s first truly green electronics.”

There are many factors that influence our choices as consumers; appearance, price, performance, entertainment etc, to ensure our love for electrical gadgets is sustainable, we need to make ‘green’ a major factor in our decisions.

Recycling your electronic waste

At 1800Ewaste we collect and recycle all types of electronic waste, 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 are 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

1800EWASTE, 1800 392 783

Originally posted 2009-11-25 10:34:23.

Electronic equipment has become completely disposable, it gets faster, smarter and cheaper everyday. If something breaks, it’s often cheaper to buy a new one than fix the old one.

That’s all well and good, but the real question is what happens to the ‘old ones’? Don’t just think about the big ticket items like computers and mobile phones, stop and think about all of the other electrical equipment in your household…. alarm clock, blender, microwave, fridge, calculator, toys, video games, cameras, hair dryer…. and so the list goes on. As electronic equipment, of every kind, becomes more and more a part of our day-to-day lives we need to make recycling electronic waste (ewaste) a top priority. Here are just some of the reasons why;

• According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics ewaste in Australia is estimated to be growing at more than three times the rate of general municipal waste.
• Unfortunately for decades this toxic ewaste has filled our landfill sites, leaching dangerous metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the surrounding soil, groundwater and ultimately ending up in us. The health effects of such heavy metals in humans can be devastating, research shows tumours, mental health disorders and cancer are just some of the results.
• According to the Environment, Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC), Australians discarded 16.8 million electronic devices in 2007/8. Only 9 per cent of this was recycled while 88 per cent, or 14.7 million devices, were sent to landfill. The remainder was exported.
• Landfill is not the only issue caused by lack of recycling, it is reported that Australia has been exporting increasingly large amounts of ewaste to China, India and other Asian countries, estimated to be worth about $20 million a year. Tragically the recycling conditions in these countries are often sub-standard resulting in innocent adults and children being exposed to harmful toxins.
• On the upside, recycling ewaste not only diverts toxic metals from landfill but it also means many valuable materials can be reused. Recycling reduces the amount of waste as well as the mining of raw materials – in essence recycling is “above ground mining”.
• According to the EPHC, if 75% of the 1.5 million televisions that are discarded annually were recycled, this would amount to a national saving of approximately 23,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents, 520 mega litres of water, 400,000 gigajoules of energy and 160,000 cubic metres of landfill space.
• Creating secondary raw materials, ie recycling, results in huge energy savings compared to creating primary raw materials. For example, recycling steel into a secondary raw material uses 74% less energy than the production of the primary product. Recycled Aluminium uses 95% less, Copper 85% less, Lead 65% less and Plastics 80% less – it’s a win, win, win scenario – we protect precious resources, divert usable materials from landfill and conserve energy all at the same time!

At 1800Ewaste we are 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 are 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.

How to get your electronic waste collected and recycled.

If you’re interested in having your ewaste recycled please give us a call today.

1800EWASTE, 1800 392 783

Originally posted 2009-11-17 14:32:23.

In today’s computer based society, gaining access to other people’s personal details has never been easier. Online social media only makes your personal details even more accessible as we literally post our most personal information on profiles for everyone to see. Sure, you can make your profile private and allow only your friends to see what kind of mood you’re in today, but that doesn’t mean that your private information isn’t still stored somewhere within the sites database.

Identity theft and Fraud: Costly, Frightening and on the rise.

Facebook has recently come under pressure after the details of 100million users were published on a website – the hacker responsible claimed he was aiming to highlight the security flaws of the social media site. Today’s society means that more data than ever is being stored on computers and the internet; from addresses to online banking log in details, we are trusting technology with a frightening amount of information.

Whilst most websites are secure there is always the danger of our information getting into the wrong hands and leading to more serious problems than just an increase of junk mail. Identity theft and fraud are growing issues facing both businesses and individuals all over the world and costing tax payers up to $4 billion a year in Australia alone. According to stopidtheft.com, your D.O.B, address, mother’s maiden name and passwords are now “as valuable as money” – that’s all a fraudster needs to open credit cards and apply for loans.

Are we throwing away our data when we dispose of our computers?

As a computer recycling company, a common concern amongst our customers is what will happen to data stored on computers once we collect them. And rightly so. When users input their details on the internet, the information is automatically stored on their computers – bank log in details, passwords, addresses etc. For businesses this is an even bigger worry, as they input other people’s private information. We have been warned for years now to make sure we shred our bank statements and utility bills before throwing them out with the trash, but how much emphasis is placed on data destruction before we dispose of our obsolete computers? You wouldn’t put your bank statement on the street in the hope that someone collects it, but it’s becoming more and more common to see outdated computers left on the kerb for the same reason.

There are many forms of data destruction that can be used to erase data from hard drives, but not all are totally reliable. Traditional wiping methods such as formatting or deleting files are the least effective, as a data can still be retrieved by those with a little computer knowledge. Alternatively, many data erasing companies will write over the memory, sometimes up to seven times, with the same code, which makes the existing memory unreadable.

Physical Data Destruction – the 1800Ewaste way of securing your details.

It is widely believed, however, that physical destruction is one of the most secure methods of data destruction as it destroys the memory and means that it is almost impossible to access. Of course this depends on the extent of destruction – if it’s not broken down enough some small components can hold a substantial amount of memory.

At 1800Ewaste, it’s this level of destruction that we provide both our business and residential customers. Throughout our intensive recycling process all of our CPU and hard drives are completely stripped apart and broken down to their core components. The hazardous materials are extracted and your ewaste is separated into the different metals and plastics that it contains. This thorough method of destruction ensures that all data is irretrievable and cannot fall into the wrong hands.

Data destruction is not the only benefit of using 1800Ewaste to recycle your computer equipment.

Whilst data destruction is a crucial advantage of using 1800Ewaste to dispose of your obsolete computer equipment, there’s more.  We ensure that 95-98% of what we collect, by weight, is diverted from landfill so you can also be assured that you’re protecting your information and helping combat Australia’s growing electronic waste problem.

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 canOur 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.

Originally posted 2010-08-19 12:41:26.

The 5^th June 2011, will see the United Nations celebrate its annual World Environment Day. Every year the UN use the 5^th June to raise awareness of environmental issues facing the world today as well as encourage political action. This year’s theme focuses on Forests: Nature at your service and stresses the need to protect and support the world’s forests.

World Environment Day – A good time to think about recycling your electronic waste

Even though the United Nations might be concentrating their efforts on the forests this year, there are still hundreds of other ways that we can help look after our environment. At 1800Ewaste we will be stepping up our efforts to combat one of the largest issues facing Australia today – electronic waste.

Electronic waste – Australia’s fastest growing waste stream.

Australians are among the highest users of new technology in the world, and the stockpile of obsolete computers, televisions and white goods just keeps on growing. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1.6 million computers were sent to Australian landfills in 2006, and this number will no doubt have increased with the introduction of exciting and innovative new technologies such as the iPad, kindles and HD televisions. Founder of World Environment Day, the United Nations, estimates that up to 50 million tonnes of ewaste are thrown away globally every year.

So how can electronic waste damage our health?

One of the main reasons that obsolete electronics have become such a problem is due to the ever evolving advances in electronics and the ousting of older technologies. CRT monitors for example, the old style of television and computer screens have been replaced with plasma and LCD screens. CRT monitors are among the most common visitors to the tip, along with the 4-8lb of lead that it contains. When allowed to seep into soil and water streams, lead can be detrimental to the environment.

Lead, Mercury and Nickel – It’s all in your electronic waste.

As well as lead, electronic waste is also packed full of mercury, nickel and other hazardous chemicals. Burning these toxins in an uncontrolled environment, such as your local tip, release poisonous fumes into the atmosphere – fumes that can be carcinogenic and cause serious health problems.

World Environment Day – take the time to look after your world, your health and your electronic waste.

So, it might be time to make a change this 5^th June, or for the rest of June for that matter and make one step to looking after your world’s environment. 1800Ewaste can take out the complications of recycling your obsolete electronics by collecting and recycling it all for you. What’s more, 1800Ewaste only use IS014001 approved refineries within Australia – strictly no reselling, no exporting and 95-98% of all electronic waste we collect is recycled.

So call us today on 1800 392 783, where one of our electronic waste specialists are waiting to assist you and provide you with an obligation free quote. We look forward to hearing from you.

Originally posted 2011-06-06 06:29:10.

The weather, our beaches, our heritage, our wonderful scenery, our exotic creatures, our skills on the Barbie…there are plenty of things that make Australia great and, at 1800Ewaste, we’re dedicated to keeping it that way. We’re passionate about diverting as much electronic waste from Australian landfill as humanly possible, by campaigning for electronic waste recycling across the country.

A CRT monitor in landfill can last a lifetime

The old style computer monitors and televisions are also known as CRT monitors and these monitors are jam packed with harmful chemicals. They have it all, from cadmium – a cancerous chemical, to lead and mercury. By sending our CRT monitors to landfill, we allow these poisonous chemicals to seep into our soil and water streams, destroying parts of Australian wildlife and the Australian environment that we are so proud of.  Mercury is so damaging, that just one drop can poison more than one million gallons of water, and it doesn’t stop there – it also reacts with oxygen to poison the air we breathe too. Scary stuff.

Proud to be an Australian company – recycling for our country

1800Ewaste was born right here, in Australia, and our entire recycling operation takes place right here too, in Australia. We care for our country and the environment we live in, we’re also dedicated to leaving our country and its beauty intact for future generations to enjoy. None of the electronic waste we collect is ever resold or reused – we recycle 95-98% (by weight) of our ewaste, so that it stays far away from landfill.

We also never export any of your electronic waste – all ewaste is recycling in Australian ISO140001 approved refineries – ensuring that your ewaste is recycled in line with global standards. It also helps provide more jobs right here in Australia too.

Keep Australia beautiful – don’t send your old televisions and computers to landfill.

It might seem like the easy option, but trust us – keeping our country in the manner to which we’ve become accustomed is a priority right now. The government has started to introduce new legislations to ensure landfills won’t accept electronic waste, and they are backing a new initiative ‘The Product Stewardship’ scheme, that will see the responsibility of recycling passed back to the manufacturer. However, progress is slow and, in the meantime, we need to ensure that we’re not littering our country with hazardous waste.

Call 1800Ewaste today and receive your obligation free quote to have your electronic waste collected and recycled. Our friendly customer service team will explain to you our processes, and can arrange a collection for a time that suits YOU. Should you wish to show off your accomplishment, we can also provide you with a Certificate of Recycling and Destruction, so that you know that your ewaste has been correctly disposed of.

So, this Australia Day, while your lighting up the barbie and cracking open a bottle of beer, make sure you’ve made 2012 your year to make a difference to your country. Recycle you electronic waste with Australia’s number one recycling firm – keeping ewaste out of Australia’s landfills.

Happy Australia Day from everyone at 1800Ewaste.

Originally posted 2012-01-23 07:21:16.

With Christmas on our doorstep and New Years just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about you New Years Resolution. Will you be joining the gym this January or giving up chocolate? Maybe you’re going for something different and you’ve decided to take up a hobby, or just have a new attitude towards life. Whatever your personal aims for 2011, why not think about changing the way you dispose of your electronic waste?

Christmas is commonly a time when we, as consumers, go a little bit crazy. It’s the most common time of year for buying electrical goods, as we buy our children that long awaited new PlayStation, or treat our other half to an updated iPhone. What happens though, to all of the obsolete electronics that we’re replacing? They usually end up gathering dust in a drawer or in the garage and are forgotten about.

Start this New Year as you mean to go on – recycle your electronic waste.

Your council may offer yearly electronic waste collections, but what happens if you miss it or if you just want to get rid of it now? 1800Ewaste offer an electronic waste collection and recycling service for both residential and commercial customers; we aim to divert 95-98% of all of the ewaste we collect, by weight, from landfill by stripping electronic items right down to their core components. By extracting materials such as copper, aluminium and plastics from ewaste we are not only rescuing valuable renewable resources from ending up in landfill, but we are also preventing the hazardous waste that electronic goods contain from seeping into water and soil systems.

It’s a common myth that recycling electronic waste can be profitable to company by reselling the extracted metals and plastics. In reality, however, the cost of properly recycling electronic waste actually far outweighs the value of the materials inside. For this reason we have a charge for our service which covers, not just the collection from your home or office, but also the cost of recycling your items too.

Spread the word – save yourself money by getting your community involved in ewaste recycling.

The festive period is all about getting together with loved ones, so we suggest getting together with friends, family and neighbours to organise a community ewaste collection. This can significantly bring down your costs, and also be a great way to unite the community in the New Year. All you have to do is call 1800 392 783 for a complete list of our prices and organise a collection time that suits you;  spread the word to your neighbours and friends and we’re sure you’ll be surprised by their eager response.

1800Ewaste – Australia’s leading electronic waste company – helping Australia make greener resolutions for 2011.

At 1800Ewaste we are passionate about diverting as much electronic waste from landfill as possible, so we’re encouraging you to spread the word about electronic waste recycling and make a New Years resolution that you’ll want to keep.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all at 1800Ewaste.

Originally posted 2010-12-30 14:36:31.

Along with the rise in electronic waste, there’s been an increase in the amount of electronic waste that gets exported abroad. According to the United National Environment Programme, the amount of ewaste in China is set to increase by 400% in the next 10 years and by 500% in India. This excessive figure shows the true extent of the global electronic waste problem and, with the digital age and constantly evolving technological advances, it’s only set to get worse.

So what makes exporting electronic waste so beneficial?

At 1800Ewaste we’ve written several articles discussing the dangers of exporting electronic goods and the legislation that has been put in place to prevent it. However, with predictions like the one above, it’s clear that government policies aren’t deterring illegal exporters. What is it that makes exporting so appealing?

The benefits of exporting ewaste, like most things in this world, are purely economical…

• Developed countries would prefer to export their electronic waste due to the high cost of recycling in their own countries. Recycling facilities in most countries need to meet high safety standards, and the procedure is costly. In fact, the cost of recycling in developed countries actually far outweighs the value of the renewable materials inside. In contrast, safety standards for recycling facilities in developing countries are worryingly low. Common practise is usually open air burning or, simply, landfill. For this reason companies find it far more profitable to send their electronic waste abroad under the pretence of “recycling”.
• Exporters can even end up getting paid for their electronic waste by companies in developing countries who wish to resell either the working electronic item or the valuable, renewable materials within them. Low labour costs and child labour keeps their costs low, so it’s possible for them to make a bit more money out of the metals and plastics inside electronics.
• Illegal exporters also attempt to justify their actions by arguing that they are helping the economy of developing countries by providing jobs for the poor. A report by 60Minutes for American TV network CBS discusses how poverty stricken farmers would travel for miles to get paid US$8 a day, to expose themselves to toxic fumes and materials; their choice shouldn’t have to be “poverty or poison”.

Is exporting electronic waste worth it? NO. Australia desperately needs to take responsibility for their electronic waste problem.

• As with every benefit, there is always a negative. And when it comes to exporting electronic waste, the negatives are endless. Exporting electronic waste might be economically beneficial to private companies, but the damage it’s doing to the environment and health haunt future generations in the years to come.
• Australia ratified the Basel Convention in 1992, which states that exporting electronic waste is illegal without the appropriate licenses. It also states that partied countries should dispose of their hazardous wastes (such as ewaste) in an environmentally sound manner. Thus, exporting electronic waste to developing countries is illegal.
• Health risks associated with irresponsible recycling can be deadly. The lack of safety standards in these countries means that workers are exposed to toxic fumes all day long and are pulling the items apart bare handed. Electronic waste contains highly poisonous materials such as lead, mercury and cadmium – toxins are being burnt into the air in small over crowded towns and are extremely harmful when inhaled. The CBS report stated that in the small town on Guiyu in China, 7 out of 10 children have too much lead in their blood and pregnancies are six times more likely to miscarry. It’s no coincidence that this town is also home to a “recycling” facility and ewaste landfill.
• Some of us may be able to shrug our shoulders when it comes to caring about the exporting of electronic waste, by believing that it doesn’t matter do us. However, exporting ewaste might actually have more of an affect to us than first thought. A report for PBS revealed that “organised criminals sometimes comb through…drives for personal information to use in scams”.

Help combat the illegal export of electronic waste and use a responsible recycler to collect your electronics.

So next time you need to get rid of your electronic waste, make sure you’re using a responsible recycler that can assure you that your data is destroyed and that your electronic waste is properly recycled within Australia.

At 1800Ewaste we are passionate about diverting as much electronic waste from landfill as possible by recycling everything we collect within Australia at ISO14001 recycling facilities. We aim to divert 95-98% of electronic waste from landfill by stripping the ewaste down to its core components which also means that any data left on hard drives and memories is physically destroyed too.

Call 1800Ewaste today on 1800 392 783 for an obligation free quote to have your electronic waste collected and recycled.

Originally posted 2011-01-12 16:37:39.