Hi Katie,

Just wanted to thank you for organising the collection of our e-waste. The guys that came to collect the equipment were very prompt and cleared it all very quickly.

Much appreciated

Mavis

VIC

Dear Katie,

The man from Ewaste came yesterday midday and picked up all my pieces of electronic equipment… he was a very nice young man and very helpful. I wish to thank you both for your excellent service, it is much appreciated. Cheerio for now and have a nice weekend…

Kind regards

Elizabeth

NSW

With the FIFA World Cup set to “kick” off in a matter of days, football fans all over the world will be glued to their television screens to see who takes home the coveted title of World Cup Champions. It is estimated that 26.3 billion viewers will be tuning in over the next 31 days; it will also be the first world-wide event to be broadcast on 3D, HD and through live streaming. The digital switchover might already be sending analogue television to an early grave, but the World Cup will certainly be speeding up the process as football fanatics rush to watch the games in all their 3D, HD, LCD glory.

The eternal ewaste recycling question – what will happen to the televisions?

This is a question that has bothered us here at 1800 Ewaste before; with seemingly never ending technological advances we are upgrading our technology faster than ever before. According to recent research, the life expectancies of both televisions and computers are set to half within the next 10 years as consumers begin to upgrade their electronic items every 5 years, instead of every 10. This begs the question; what do the government plan on doing with all of this extra ewaste?

The Product Stewardship Scheme – a government approved scheme funded by manufacturers.

Product Stewardship Australia (PSA) believes they have the answer to Australia’s Ewaste problems. The PSA have underlined a new programme which will pass the responsibility of recycling back to the manufacturer once the television has reached its end of life. Under their proposed scheme, manufactures will be required to pay some sort of import license when bringing electronic items into Australia, which will cover the cost of recycling.

According to the PSA, this scheme will be “commercially neutral”, as it will be required that all television importers have some form of recycling programme in place, ensuring that no manufacturer can manipulate the system for financial gain. A similar scheme has been in place in other countries for more than ten years and has proved successful in large countries like the USA and Japan. In November 2009, the Australian Government agreed to support this scheme as part of their National Waste Policy, which suggests that they have finally decided to tackle our ever increasing ewaste problem.

Electronic waste has been an escalating problem for years now, how far will this new recycling scheme go to repair the damage?

As a country, Australia is one of the worst offenders for carbon emissions and landfill pollutions, which is no surprise given that the government is only now beginning to consider our electronic waste problem. As we mentioned above, some countries have had a similar product stewardship scheme in place since 1996. As I write this article, New York has just become the 23rd American state to adopt a strict Ewaste legislation which passes the responsibility of recycling to the consumers and manufacturers. The difference between this and the scheme proposed in Australia? New York have pinpointed the exact month and year that this legislation will come into force; by April 2011 manufacturers, by law, will have to offer free recycling services to their consumers. At present, the Australian scheme merely “hopes” to be operational in 2011.

There is also the issue of money which, as always, gets in the way. Where will manufacturers be finding this money to recycle all of these televisions? It is a common belief that recycling electronic waste can generate profit, but they would be wrong; the cost of recycling electronic items far outweighs the value of the materials inside so manufacturers will not be gaining financially by recycling our Ewaste. Whilst the PSA insist that the scheme will be free for consumers, costs will surely be passed on in some way. It seems there will be little, if any, financial aid from the government under this scheme and, in order to cover costs of recycling, manufacturers may have to raise their prices or cut costs elsewhere. This begs the question then, how much is all this really going to cost us and how long are we going to have to hold on to our old televisions for?

At 1800 Ewaste we prefer to be upfront about our costs and services, call us now for an obligation free estimate.

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.

So, if you’re planning on supporting the Socceroos this season on a flashy new television, why not give 1800 392 783 a call and let us take care of your old one.

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.

Recycling your Ewaste is a complicated process; it is stripped apart by hand and put through several delicate processes in order to recover 95-98% of materials from your electronic waste. The raw material that remains, such as glass, copper, plastics and metals, can then be put to good use instead of wasting valuable space in landfill and contaminating the environment. The diagram below gives you a better idea of what happens once we collect electronic waste from your offices and homes…

Recycling Process Flow Chart

Thank you for your efficient service, I’ll be using you again!

Francis

Essendon, Victoria

Save the World…Call Ewaste!

This machine will not go to landfill. It is being picked up by Ewaste. They will recycle 95% of it.

Don’t throw out your white goods and computers in council pickups = landfill!

Ring “Ewaste” and they will recycle 95-98% of it. Fantastic! (Ok you have to pay a little, but you all can afford it!)

- Fiona from Western Australia

The worst is the ewaste epidemic currently taking India by storm, the tragic reality of this influx of computers, printers, mobiles phones etc. is that a huge proportion of it is generated off shore and imported into India under the guise of re-use or legitimate ewaste recycling.

A recent report by India’s Department of Scientific Industrial Research reveals that e-waste heading into India is increasing by 10% a year. The sad truth of this increase is that nearly all of it is heading into urban slums for unsafe disassembly – subsequently, a huge amount of toxins are hitting a huge number of people.

E-waste contains toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, plastic, PVC, barium, beryllium and carcinogens such as carbon black and heavy metals. If they are not recycled properly; this deadly mix can pose disastrous health and environmental problems.

In the Slums of Delhi discarded computers, monitors and keyboards are reduced to pieces. Areas such as Loni and Mandoli specialize in open burning and acid baths for extraction of metals and so on. The recycling of this hazardous waste should only ever take place in accredited recycling facilities where the proper safety precautions are in place.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India, the country was standing on a pile of 1,46,180 tonnes of e-waste as “inventory” in 2005.

The following Greenpeace documentary uncovers the truth about Delhi’s ewaste recycling…

Thankfully with the bad there is also some good on the ewaste news front in India…

One of India’s relatively small PC manufacturing companies, Wipro has beaten the some of the big electronic giants like Dell, Samsung and Lenovo to the finish line in producing a computer free of the worst toxic chemicals, a major first for India. The new computer, named “Greenware” is free of both hazardous PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and BFRs (brominated flame retardants).

2010 is the year many electronics companies pledged to remove toxic chemicals like PVC and BFRs. Those that took this pledge seriously, like Apple, HP and Nokia are now delivering. Other companies that are far bigger than Wipro in the global market, such as Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung, are failing to come up with the green goods.

How to dispose and recycle your old electronic equipment safely
1800ewaste is Australia’s leading ewaste collection and recycling service. We are passionate about diverting as much electronic equipment from landfill and export 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 e-waste recycled please give us a call today

1800EWASTE, 1800 392 783

Our electronic waste is filled with a veritable cocktail of toxic materials. Unfortunately when this ewaste is not recycled and simply thrown out with the garbage, ultimately ending up in landfill, it means both human health and the environment are at risk.

A report by Environment Victoria and Total Environment Centre Inc entitled “Tipping Point: Australia’s E-Waste Crisis/2009/Update” states the following affects from materials found in ewaste.

Lead
This toxic material has a well-documented history of negative health affects including brain damage, hence it’s removal from paints and petrol. The introduction of lead to the food chain and atmosphere (through lead combustion) are the primary causes of health problems in humans. Lead in the environment disrupts the natural functions of water and soil systems.

Mercury
Mercury has a toxic affect on both human and environmental health. A small amount now exists in every household light-bulb (the new energy efficient CFLs), if these light-bulbs are crushed as part of the waste transfer process the elemental form of mercury is easily transferred into local environments. Once in landfill and combined with organics, anaerobic breakdown takes place leading to the production of highly toxic methyl-mercury.

Cadmium
Cadmium is cancer causing to humans. Within environmental systems it rapidly degrades soil health causing flow on effects to local ecosystems; it is also released to the atmosphere if burnt.

Brominated Flame Retardants
When ewaste is oxidized during smelting, bromine will be released. The released bromine may then recombine with unoxidized carbon under certain conditions in smelter emissions in the form of Brominated dioxins and furans.

Beryllium
Inhalation of beryllium or beryllium-containing dust, mist or fume, may cause a chronic lung disorder called beryllicosis in susceptible persons, and beryllium is a probable human carcinogen.

Arsenic
Arsenic is classified as a carcinogen.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Hazardous chemical additives (like phthalates) can leach when PVC components of electronic products are sent to landfill.

It’s our responsibility to ensure our future generations have access to a clean environment as we did. Recycling electronic waste is the only way to prevent these toxic materials from affecting human health and the environment in the future.

At 1800Ewaste we are passionate about diverting as much of Australia’s electronic equipment from landfill and export 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. Our service is professional, fast and reliable, we’ll come to you, collect your ewaste and deliver it to the appropriate recycling facility.

If you’re interested in having your ewaste collected and recycled please give us a call today on 1800EWASTE, 1800 392 783

New computers, printers, servers, hard drives etc, the IT industry is booming, and as a direct result so is Australia’s electronic waste (ewaste) pile.

The Total Environment Centre and Environment Victoria have prepared a detailed report on Australia’s ewaste situation, it is appropriately titled “Tipping Point: Australia’s E-waste Crisis. 2009, Update. It states…

• There will be 234 million items of ewaste in or on their way to Australian landfill by the end of 2009. That’s 41 million more items than was estimated would be the case in the 2008 version of the report.




• Without the introduction of an e‐waste recycling program the amount of e‐waste in Australian landfills will treble by 2020 and be close to 700 million items.

E-waste deposited in landfill is a toxic time bomb. Components such as lead, mercury and cadmium are just a few of the hazardous materials that cause adverse affects on humans and the environment when left to leach into ground in landfill.

IT recycling ensures end-of-life technology can be broken down and reused as secondary raw materials.

If toxic materials in landfill aren’t enough to convince you to recycle your used computers, printers, cameras, scanners etc then think about the world’s finite raw materials used to make your new computers. By recycling used IT equipment you can extend the life span of these precious resources. E-waste recycling facilities are now able to convert 95-98% of electronic equipment they receive into secondary raw materials for future use. Extending the life span of primary raw materials is of vital importance as the world’s supply is far from infinite, the table below illustrates that in some instances we have very little supply left.

Correct IT disposal is key, 1800Ewaste specialises in collection and recycling of electronic waste ie. all IT recycling, used computers or simply end-of-lease, printer recycling and much more.

1800ewaste is Australia’s leading ewaste collection and recycling service. 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