These days you’d be hard pressed to find a business that doesn’t rely on computers, printers and mobile phones.
And like any electronic items these either break down or become technologically obsolete, adding to Australia’s (and the world’s) growing mountain of electronic waste.
E-waste contains toxic materials, such as lead and mercury, as well as valuable components including gold and steel.
The upshot is that recycling e-waste makes sense for both environmental and economic reasons, and an increasing number of businesses are recognising their responsibility to safely recycle their e-waste.
Governments are also nudging things along. It is expected that Victoria’s ban on disposing of e-waste to landfill will come into effect in mid-2018.
On top of that, Australia’s National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme seeks to ensure that the recycling rate for available e-waste rises from 50% in 2015-16 to 80% by 2026-27.
The easy part
Surprisingly, the easiest part of establishing a workplace e-waste recycling scheme is getting rid of the waste you collect.
If your business is already recycling other waste with Ecocycle, we can simply pick up your e-waste when we come to collect your old lighting or batteries.
This means we can cost-effectively collect even small quantities of e-waste. (And if you’re not doing so, now is a great time to start recycling your lighting and batteries, too.)
Not using our other collection services yet? Just store your e-waste in a dry location. We can even provide wheelie or stillage bins (small skip) to keep everything neat and tidy. Once the bin is full simply call us to arrange pickup.
Getting everyone on board
Ideally, the push for recycling in your workplace should come from the top, but sometimes the boss may need a bit of encouragement.
To achieve an even better environmental result, ask management to let everyone bring e-waste from home, at least smaller items such as laptops, tablets and phones, but see if TVs and desktop computers can be included too.
Once management is on board, it’s time to get collecting. Promote the in-house e-waste collection program via emails and posters.
Provide updates on how much waste has been collected along with reminders of what can be recycled.
With management setting the example, your workplace will soon develop a culture of recycling.
We’re here to help
Whether you are researching the business case for recycling e-waste in your workplace, or have already built up a stockpile of computers, TVs, screens, keyboards, mice and printers, Ecocycle is here to help.
Give us a call on 1300 32 62 92 or fill out the form below, and discover how easy it is to join the e-waste recycling revolution.
