8 November 2010
Waipa residents cleared their homes of an estimated 13 tonnes of old computer equipment and mobile phones in New Zealand’s fourth national eDay on Saturday (Nov 6).
In total, 338 cars passed through eDay sites in Cambridge and Te Awamutu dropping off an estimated 1206 items of computer and computer-related equipment and mobile phones for safe recycling.
The free drive-through recycling event was held in 53 locations across the country, including Te Awamutu and Cambridge - up from 38 locations last year.
Waipa District councillors Marcus Gower and Laurie Hoverd and MP Louise Upston joined volunteers from council and Sustainable Cambridge, and staff from Red Bins in Te Awamutu and Envirowaste in Cambridge to help with unloading cars, taking surveys and sorting and packing equipment.
Waipa District Council’s team leader corporate and community planning Shelley Monrad said the computer equipment collected at eDay will be recycled under an agreement between the Ministry for the Environment and a computer recycler, who is still to be appointed.
“eDay was aimed at diverting computer waste from landfill while raising awareness about the benefits of recycling computers. When asked how people would otherwise dispose of their computer equipment, many people said they didn’t know,” Mrs Monrad said.
Te Awamutu’s Red Bins manager Murray Bain said Red Bins does collect some types of computer waste for recycling on an ongoing basis. “We encourage people to give us a call first and we can tell them whether or not we can recycle it,” Mr Bain said.
The Government estimates that every year 80,000 tonnes of electronic waste is disposed of in New Zealand landfills.
National organiser, Laurence Zwimpfer of the eDay New Zealand Trust, said the response to eDay around the country was phenomenal. “The 77,000 items collected nationally have filled over 110 shipping containers which is a phenomenal result. It demonstrates there is clearly a lot of old computers out there being stored in cupboards and garages and New Zealanders want a solution to disposing of this gear in an environmentally friendly way,” Mr Zwimpfer said.
“The Government is taking steps in the right direction by funding eDay 2010 and new community e-waste recycling facilities and we applaud them for this. However we believe legislation is needed to begin to see a real, positive difference in the amount of this stuff going to our landfills,” Mr Zwimpfer continued.
For more information, please contact:
Jacqui Humm
Ph: 07 872 0062 or 027 532 1760
Email: jacqui.humm@waipadc.govt.nz