Can I recycle broken medical equipment?
Keeping us healthy and treating us when we are sick requires a wide range of different types of medical equipment. So, is broken medical equipment recyclable? It all depends on the specifics – the nature of the equipment, how much of it there is, and whether it contains hazardous materials or components. Why recycle? There […]
What is e-waste? A definitive guide to understanding electrical waste and how it is recycled
E-waste: It stands for electrical and electronic waste, and it’s usually defined as anything that plugs into a power point or runs on batteries and that has reached the end of its useful life. That doesn’t mean something is broken; it may just be technologically obsolete. Some people expand the definition of e-waste to include […]
Ecocycle supports industry-led battery recycling program Exitcycle
Australia’s commercial and public buildings are home to about 30 million emergency exit lights. Most of these rely on nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries, along with smaller numbers of nickel metal hydride and sealed lead acid batteries. An estimated five million Ni-Cd batteries, containing 90 tonnes of the toxic heavy metal cadmium, are dumped in landfill […]
Where can I recycle lighting in Australia?
Most people don’t know it, but it is both possible and desirable to recycle lighting waste in Australia. Much of our lighting – fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and some types of high intensity lamps – contains mercury. If these lights are not recycled, that mercury ends up polluting our environment. Aside from the […]
Large companies’ recycling efforts could spur small businesses to follow
What do manufacturing and retailing giants Unilever, Renault, Nike and H&M have in common? They are all actively engaged in lifting the recycling rates of the products they sell, and the phrase ‘circular economy’ is on their corporate lips as they work to reduce their impacts on the environment. Unilever aims to shift to 100% […]
Should Queensland introduce a state-wide waste levy?
Most states and territories in Australia charge a levy on the disposal of waste to landfill. The exceptions are Queensland and the Northern Territory. The purpose of the levies is to make it relatively more expensive to dump waste in landfill, and relatively cheaper to recycle. The levies also allow governments to provide grants to […]
Why it’s so important to recycle mercury thermostats
US leads the way In 1998 several American thermostat manufacturers established a non-profit stewardship program called the Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC). In total, it has collected 2.1 million thermostats containing 10 tons (9.1 tonnes) of mercury. “Logistically, the TRC model works in a similar way to our lamp and battery recycling programs so it’s something […]
Ecocycle featured on inside waste
Details about Ecocycle’s partnership with Total Waste Management (TWM) in Papua New Guinea was recently featured on Inside Waste. The article talks about how Ecocycle has partnered with TWM to reverse the historically negative story of international transfers of toxic waste. “With appropriate licenses from the environment protection agencies in both countries, Ecocycle will take […]
Another company falsely touted as ‘Australia’s only mercury treatment plant’
Another company has falsely claimed it is Australia’s only mercury treatment plant. In this Pilbara News article, New Zealand-based business Contract Resources has been touted as “Australia’s only mercury treatment plant” in an announcement that it will construct a LNG waste processing facility in Karratha, Western Australia. This comes after Dutch company BMT claimed it […]
What does China’s ban on foreign garbage mean for local recycling in Australia?
China’s campaign against foreign garbage has hit the Australian recycling industry hard. As part of the campaign, China has blocked the import of recyclable materials in which contaminants constitute more the 0.5% of the waste. This is an extremely tough target to meet and places an effective ban on sending recyclables, mostly paper and plastics, […]
GPS trackers reveal Australian e-waste is being sent to developing countries
When you drop off your old computer at a recycling centre, particularly one that is a member of a government-endorsed recycling program, you have every right to expect that your e-waste will be safely recycled. You should also be able to expect that most of the recycling will take place within Australia, in accord with […]
How does Ecocycle collect, transport, store and recycle medical waste?
Ecocycle’s original interest in medical waste was in the recovery of mercury from instruments such as thermometers and sphygmomanometers (blood pressure monitors). These items still make up a significant fraction of the medical waste we receive, but these days the biggest component of the medical waste stream that we recycle comprises old x-ray films. X-ray […]
What can national and public parks recycle?
Whether it’s a huge national park or a small local reserve, parks and gardens improve our wellbeing and play an important role in creating a healthy environment. While municipal parks may provide rubbish and recycling bins for use by the public, to stay neat and tidy more remote parks will often rely on visitors to […]
Certified destruction: How Ecocycle destroys personal information attached to items recycled
What happens to your data when you discard your old mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer or memory card? With identity theft a major and growing problem it’s a question we all need to answer before deciding on a disposal method for any item that holds data. And remember, it isn’t enough just to delete […]
Are your Christmas lights broken? Here’s how you can recycle them
Australia may not be in the same league as America when it comes to Christmas light displays. However, as more people get into the festive lighting spirit one thing is certain – more Christmas lighting adds up to more electrical and electronic waste (e-waste). No one wants to be the Grinch so decorate away, but […]
How to choose the right recycling supplier for your business
As the concept of the circular economy becomes more mainstream, recycling is playing an increasingly important role in maximising the amount of ‘waste’ that is repurposed as a ‘resource’. The upshot? All businesses that produce any type of waste should be on the lookout for recycling opportunities. But with recycling solutions being developed for an […]
What’s the cost of not recycling in Australia?
China’s recent ban on importing many types of waste has highlighted major weaknesses in the way in which Australia and similar countries have approached recycling. Now it appears that the situation is twice as bad as originally thought. With China’s door closed and with other countries lacking sufficient recycling capacity, more than a million tonnes […]
How does Ecocycle collect, transport, store and recycle lighting?
Ecocycle provides complete lighting recycling solutions for organisations of all sizes. Because we control the entire process from start to finish, you can rest assured that your waste lighting will be recycled responsibly, safely and in compliance with all applicable regulations. Here’s how we collect, transport, store and recycle lighting: Collection Our involvement begins right […]
What types of lighting can schools recycle?
Schools do a great job of encouraging and implementing recycling programs. But have you ever wanted to know what types of lighting schools can recycle? The short answer is: all types of lighting can be recycled by schools. Now let’s delve into the details. Fluorescent lighting Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) make up […]
Ecocycle response to EPA Victoria’s public notice
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria recently published a public notice in major newspapers announcing that the previous owner of Ecocycle, CMA Recycling Pty Ltd (In Liquidation), had been found guilty of storing prescribed industrial waste, including mercury, at a site in Reo Crescent in Campbellfield without a licence. CMA Recycling Pty Ltd (In Liquidation) […]
