Sydneysiders recycled 20 tonnes electronic waste in six hours at the City of Sydney’s latest e-waste collection day, helping keep unwanted household items out of landfill.
The popular quarterly event attracted 549 individual e-waste drop-offs with tall stacks of TVs, computers and printers collected alongside household items from vacuum cleaners to broken hairdryers.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the e-waste collected would be diverted from landfill with around 95percent of raw materials recovered and recycled.
“These free drop-off days are a real credit to our local communities, who are getting rid of e-waste responsibly.
“Our e-waste days are increasingly popular and do a great job of keeping TVs, computers and other unwanted electronic equipment out of landfill.
“We also have phone, bulb and battery recycling stations in our community centres
and libraries.”
Australians generate more than 140,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year and most of this ends up in landfill. This year alone, the City has helped more than 2,000 households recycle 60 tonnes of electronic and unwanted household waste.
E-waste items sometimes contain precious metals such as copper and platinum that should be reused. Computer screens and TVs contain toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury and arsenic, which can leach out from landfills and into waterways.
Items that can be collected include televisions, computers, home and office equipment, and small household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens and power tools. The service is free to residents.
