More than four tonnes of e-waste diverted from landfill

Noosa residents dropped off more than four tonnes of e-waste in two days at Council’s National Recycling Week collection point.

“That’s four tonnes of material diverted from landfill, which is a great result,” says Waste Education Officer Emma Menzies.

Recycling, rather than dumping, e-waste helps keep lead, mercury, and other hazardous material out of the environment.

Ms Menzies said many residents who dropped items off at the two-day collection site didn’t realise Council accepted e-waste for recycling, free of charge. Council intends to maintain the e-waste service in the future.

Residents filled eight large wire cages with old televisions, computers, printers, scanners and other IT equipment at the National Recycling Week drop-off.

“Used electronic equipment contains finite resources such as copper, aluminium, nickel and zinc. Recycling your e-waste ensures these resources are reused,” Ms Menzies said.

Plastic from old electronic equipment is recycled into new outdoor furniture, plant pots, even car dashboards.

Any data left on a computer device is destroyed through the recycling process. 

“Residents can rest assured their data is safe if they do the right thing and recycle their old computers,” Ms Menzies said.

Residents can drop off e-waste for free at the Noosa Resource and Recovery Centre, Eumundi Noosa Rd. It is open 7am - 5pm, 7 days a week.

It can also be dropped off at the Transfer Stations at Cooroy (8am-1pm Sat- Mon), and Pomona (8am -1pm Fri-Sun). 

“If we can divert over four tonnes of e-waste from landfill in just two days, image how much we can save in a year by making use of these collection points,” Ms Menzies said.

For more information about e-waste and recycling, and to download your free A-Z Guide to Recycling, visit Council’s website. 

23 November 2016