Pull the plug on your old electronics with free recycling

Residents can drop off old TVs, computers, stereos and other e-waste at Bunnings next weekend (12 and 13 November) for recycling.

It’s in addition to Council’s permanent, free, e-waste drop-off service at the Eumundi Road landfill and Cooroy and Pomona transfer stations.

Council has partnered with the Noosaville hardware store and MRI E-cycle Solutions to offer the Bunnings e-waste drop-off point on the last two days of National Recycling Week.

Residents can drop off their e-waste at Bunnings between 9am and 4pm both days.

E-waste includes TVs, monitors, computer equipment, audio visual equipment, mobile phones and parts such as cables.

MRI E-cycle Solutions recovers over 95% of the materials for reuse, any data left on a device will be destroyed through the recycling process.

Council’s Waste Education Officer Emma Menzies says e-waste is growing three times faster than any other type of waste in Australia.

“Used electronic equipment doesn’t break down in landfill. Much of it contains finite resources such as copper, aluminium, nickel and zinc, which are salvaged during recycling,” she says.

“E-waste also contains hazardous material such as lead, mercury, phosphorous, chromium and cadmium. All of this may be released into the environment if e-waste ends up in landfill.”

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

Australia recycled more than 44,000 tonnes of e-waste under the National Television & Computer recycling scheme in 2014/15. In the same year Australians retired an estimated 121,866.3 tonnes of televisions and computers.

National Recycling Week is a well-established and highly-regarded annual education and behaviour change campaign by Planet Ark.

Help us keep old and unwanted electronics out of landfill.  Recycle them this weekend at Bunnings at the corner Eumundi-Noosa Road and Gateway Drive, Noosaville.

Outside of Recycling Week, residents can drop off e-waste for free at the Noosa Resource and Recovery Centre, Eumundi Rd, 7am - 5pm, 7 days a week. It can also be dropped off at the Transfer Stations at Cooroy (7am-1pm Sat- Mon), and Pomona (7am -1pm Fri-Sun). For more information about e-waste and recycling, visit Council’s website at www.noosa.qld.gov.au/waste-recycling

7 November 2016