What should I do with my old electronics?
What is e-Waste?
Electronic waste, or e-Waste, refers to all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use.
Unsurprisingly, electronic waste is the fasting growing waste stream in the world - as the use of electronics such as phones, laptops, and PCs has grown rapidly in the last 30 years. The rate in which we replace our old electronics is also going up – we probably all know someone who regularly replaces their smartphone when the new version comes out…
New Zealand produces an estimated 98,000 tonnes of e-waste each year, and this is growing three times faster than any other type of waste stream.
Wikipedia shares the following statistics on e-Waste in Aotearoa: In 2006 there were an estimated 3.4 million televisions, 3.3 million mobile phones, 1.9 million computers and monitors, and 600,000 laptops. In 2017 the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) noted that New Zealand and Australia produced the highest volumes of e-waste per capita in the world while having amongst the lowest documented rates of recycling. A report produced for the Ministry for the Environment, estimated that New Zealand will generate 28.7 kg of e-waste per capita by 2030 without recycling and 27.1kg with recycling.
Why does it matter?
e-Waste is home to some nasty heavy metals that are especially toxic. These include Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic. These items going into landfill has negative impacts on our waterways and surrounding plant life.
Despite all the bad things inside your old electronics, there’s still a lot of good in there too. Old computers, laptops, and mobile phones all contain high amounts of precious metals like Gold and Silver. So how can we do something better with them?
Making our own eDay
eDay was started in New Zealand to overcome the problem of electronic devices disposal. The initiative was started in 2006 at one location only. Around 119,000 lb (54 tonnes) of old computers, cell phones and other non-biodegradable electronic material were gathered. During the next years the event was extended to more locations to gather more old devices. New Zelanders come to dispose their electronic devices every year on October 4.
Wāhi Tukurua / Mercury Bay Resource Recovery Centre is embracing eDay, just on the 22nd October instead! The popular Labour Weekend Whitianga Market on Saturday 22nd October provides the perfect venue.
For a gold coin donation, the Wāhi Tukurua volunteers are collecting Hand Held Devices - that means anything electrical which you hold in your hand to operate (like a cell phone) rather than a free-standing device (like a TV or computer screen). The golden rule for the golden coin is no bigger than a shoe box. This includes hairdryers, play station controls, hand drills, laptops, cords, chargers. Check out @mercurybayresourcerecoverycentre on Facebook for full details or email the team on mbresourcerecoverycentre@gmail.com.
