E-waste is any item with a plug, battery or cord that is no longer working or wanted and is the fastest growing category of waste worldwide. Starting 1 July 2019 e-waste products will no longer be treated in landfills and will need to be disposed of responsibly at dedicated facilities.
To ensure e-waste goes to recycling centres instead of regular rubbish collections, Greater Shepparton City Council is working with Sustainability Victoria to help residents understand what e-waste is and how they can dispose of it properly.
Greater Shepparton City Council Manager Works and Waste Janelle Bunfield said it was vital we dispose of e-waste correctly as it contains materials dangerous for the environment.
“Many of these items contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, phosphor, arsenic, fluids and refrigerants. If disposed of inappropriately, these materials can leach into groundwater and soil or be released into the air, creating long term contamination issues,” Mrs Bunfield said.
“With today’s unprecedented pace in technology upgrades, we are living in an increasingly disposable age where even large ticket items are discarded with far greater frequency than a generation ago. This trend and our tendency to throw out these products with our regular rubbish is a poor environmental outcome and could potentially have a devastating impact on our landfill.
“It is important we understand that there are some extremely useful and valuable substances contained within these devices and in fact 90 per cent of e-waste is recyclable when taken to the right place.”
Council’s three Resource Recovery Centres are equipped to collect and dispose of e-waste items properly and Council advises residents to start making visits to the centres.
Other retail businesses such as Harvey Norman and Office works also offer e-waste deposit services which residents are encouraged to use.
For more information on e-waste or general waste and what materials can be disposed of at the Resource Recovery Centre’s across the region head to Council’s website
or phone 03 5832 9700
