E-Waste

Effective 1 July 2019, the Victorian Government is banning e-waste from landfill!

This is a result of a lengthy research and consultation process which recognized the hazards that arise from putting e-waste in landfill sites, and the opportunities that arise from recovering the valuable materials that electronic goods are manufactured with

What is E-Waste?

E-waste is defined as any item with a plug, battery or power cord that is no longer working or wanted. These items can range anywhere from household appliances, to computer and IT equipment, and even toys & hand held gaming devices. A full list of e-waste items can be found at the link below:

https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/recycling-and-reducing-waste/at-home/recycling-at-home/e-waste

Why Recycle E-Waste?

All e-waste can contain hazardous materials. These can range from heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium to ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and flame retardants.

Even in small amounts, these dangerous chemicals can cause environmental contamination. But when you multiply it by millions of e-waste items being left in landfills or stored inappropriately, the situation becomes much more serious.

It also greatly reduces the amount of waste going into landfill. According to Sustainability Victoria, worldwide in 2016, only roughly 20% of e-waste was recycled, which means 35.8 million metric tonnes of e-waste went into landfill.

(source: https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/recycling-and-reducing-waste/at-home/recycling-at-home/e-waste/why-e-waste-cant-go-in-the-bin

How To Recycle E-Waste

In order to conform to the new EPA regulations, please ensure that any e-waste items are kept separate to other waste.  All e-waste items must be declared and placed in the correct drop off location and not tipped with other general hard waste.

KTS Recycling does accept a significant portion of e-waste for free, however not all items are accepted at our sites. Information can be found on the following link: https://www.knoxtransferstation.com.au/about-us/gate-prices/

Worried About Data Safety?

It’s advised that all electronic items such as phones and computers have personal information removed before disposing of them. If you want to know more about the process, please check out this handy video on e-waste recycling.

Majority of information was taken from Sustainability Victoria’s website. For more information visit the link below: 

https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/recycling-and-reducing-waste/at-home/recycling-at-home/e-waste