News & Media

Riches From Old Batteries And E-Waste

Recycling is an increasingly important part of our economy, for two major reasons. For one, it plays a major role in preventing the environmental pollution that occurs when hazardous materials are dumped. The second is that it recovers valuable resources for reuse. Batteries and electronic waste (e waste) contain a complex mix of materials that creates quite a challenge for recyclers. However, there are effective solutions for battery recycling and e waste recovery that help to feed our vo…

How Fluorescent Tubes Are Recovered By A Lamp Recycler

Disposing of fluorescent tubes, lamps and bulbs is a particular concern as they contain the highly toxic metal, mercury. At any given moment there are billions of light globes and fluorescent tubes lighting up our lives, but old light bulbs and tubes eventually give up the ghost and create a mountain of waste. Fortunately, lamp recycling is not only possible; it’s also highly desirable. That’s where Ecocycle comes in. The Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Process Even today, with all our knowledge…

What Can 22 Million Recycled Phones Do?

If you have any old phones that you want to throw away, you can find drop-off points on Mobile Muster's website here, or print off reply paid labels and post them in. Recycling Electronics– More Than Just Phones There is far more to e waste disposal than just mobile phones. Think of all the printers, computers, TVs and electronic toys that contribute to our e waste management problems. Electronic recycling solutions exist for all of these items too. Various programs exist for recycling e wa…

Five Types Of Old Batteries Your Workplace Can Easily Recycle

Our modern world relies on all sorts of batteries, from the little button cells that go into hearing aids through to huge, shipping container sized batteries that provide industrial-scale backup power. And that reliance is increasing as we develop stronger attachments to a growing suite or electronic devices. Battery Recycling Is Here To Help All those batteries will eventually hit the end of their useful lives and, if we continue our current habits, most of them will end up in landfill. Th…

What Ireland Can Teach Us About Fluorescent Bulb Recycling

In Ireland, retailers that sell compact fluorescent lamps and tubes are required to offer a free recycling service. For each bulb or tube purchased, retailers are obliged to accept an equivalent tube or lamp for recycling. As a result, about 30% of fluoro lamps and tubes are recycled in Ireland. While that’s a lot higher than the estimated 5 - 10% recycling rate in Australia, it’s still not a rate Ireland is happy with. Aiming For The Other 70% To lift the fluorescent lamps recycling rat…

What Can You Recycle In Your Office?

How does your office rate when it comes to recycling? Is it a one-bin, out-of-sight-out-of-mind, somebody else’s problem type of office? Or is it a reduce-reuse-recycle sort of place where everyone separates apple cores from drink bottles and nothing ever goes in the wrong bin? Chances are it’s somewhere in between, and even though we might all want to do the right thing, it’s often inconvenient or confusing. But not only can you recycle more things in your office than you might have thoug…

Is Fish Sperm The Next Big Thing In Metal Recycling?

A group of Japanese scientists have started experimenting with salmon milt (sperm), believing it could be used to recycle valuable rare earth metals as part of the electronic waste recovery process. Nothing Goes To Waste Not only is fish milt a rich source of DNA, the fishing industry in Japan discards thousands of tonnes of milt each year as a waste product. It’s plentiful, cheap and environmentally friendly. It sounds pretty bizarre, but it turns out that many metals can actually stick to DN…

The Easy Way For Businesses To Recycle X-Rays And Film

Like most areas of imaging, X-rays have gone digital, but there are still large quantities of old, silver-based X-ray film filling up storage space in hospitals and radiology centres around Australia. Just as vinyl records still have their fans, silver-based films remain in use in some parts of the imaging industry. If you're an Australian business - whether it be a hospital, a radiology clinic or any other health service that uses X-ray imaging, then you could be sitting on a pile of X-ray f…

South Australian Sparkies Lead The Way On Fluoro Recycling

South Australia is widely recognised as a leader in recycling and waste reduction. Its famous 10 cent deposit on drinks containers has been in place since 1975 and checkout-style plastic bags were given the flick in 2009. Since 2010, bans on dumping a growing list of waste types in landfill have given recycling rates a further boost. The South Australian bans are pretty broad, from paper, cardboard and a range of plastics, through medical waste and liquid waste to “vegetative matter col…

Electricians Win More Tenders with ISO 14001 Accreditation

Proper disposal of mercury waste plays a crucial part of protecting our environment, so it won’t come as any surprise that, as Australia’s leading lamp recycler, Ecocycle is committed to the highest standards. That’s why we are accredited to the internationally recognised environmental management standard ISO 14001. What may be less obvious is how our accreditation can help electricians win more business. What is ISO 14001 Accreditation? ISO 14001 is an international standard that helps org…

FluoroCycle: Cleaning Up Australia’s Lighting Industry

According to the Lighting Council of Australia (LCA), Australia’s peak lighting industry body, 90-95% of mercury-containing lighting waste is sent to landfill. To help do something about that appalling figure, the LCA established FluoroCycle. FluoroCycle is a voluntary product stewardship scheme. It aims to increase the level of fluorescent lamp recycling by targeting the commercial and industrial sectors where the bulk of waste lamps are generated. FluoroCycle Targets Both Commercial Use…

Six Things You Should Know About The National Television And Computer Recycling Scheme

1. What Is The National Television And Computer Recycling Scheme? The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) was established in 2011 and provides Australian households with access to collection and recycling services for old televisions, computers and other related equipment. 2. What Are The Goals Of The Recycling Scheme? The NTCRS sets annually increasing targets for the proportion of TV and computer waste that is collected for recycling. Strong demand from the public has …

What Can Supermarkets Recycle?

In an ideal world supermarkets would sell everything that they buy. There would be no waste, and supermarket managers wouldn’t need to worry about recycling. In the real world, supermarkets need to dispose of millions of cartons, damaged goods and large amounts of food hitting its expiry date. On top of that, supermarkets generate a variety of waste in the same way that any business does. Recycle Cardboard Cartons aren’t such a big deal, and supermarkets have been returning cardboard carton…

Trisa Thompson, Dell's vice president of corporate responsibility. Image Credit : www.greenbiz.com

How Dell Is Tackling The Global E-waste Disposal Problem

Did you know that in 2014 the world produced 42 million tonnes of e-waste? It’s a figure that is set to grow with our insatiable appetites for electronic gadgets and a growing, more affluent world population. Fortunately, the electronics industry is taking this issue seriously, and one company that is setting the pace on recycling and recovery is Dell. Legacy Of Good In 2013 Dell released its Legacy of Good plan. It addresses a range of issues, from biodegradable packaging to massive reduct…

How Frogs Helped Invent Batteries

The story of the invention of batteries nicely illustrates how an unexpected observation can stimulate curious minds and lead to new inventions with world-changing results. It begins in 1780 with Luigi Galvani dissecting a frog attached to a brass hook. When he touched the frog’s leg with an iron scalpel it twitched. Galvani’s friend, Alessandro Volta, thought that it might have something to do with a moist connector (the dead frog) joining two different metals. That led to further experiment…

The Easy Way To Recycle Batteries

Australia has a pretty poor record when it comes to battery recycling. Over 90% of dead batteries, hundreds of thousands a year, end up in landfill. It just adds to our waste problem and increases the risk of toxic chemicals polluting our environment. It’s also a waste of valuable, reusable resources. The good news is, when it comes to recycling batteries, nothing could be easier. We're Here To Help You With Your Battery Waste If you generate larger volumes of battery waste, for examp…

What Can Schools Recycle?

There are so many things Australian schools can easily recycle, and starting a recycling program is a great way to get local community members such as students, parents and teachers involved. Take a look at our school recycling guide and see all the things that can be recycled to help make a difference. Recycle The Regular Things Schools can recycle the common things that we are used to recycling at home. Paper and cardboard, plastic and glass bottles, aluminium cans and other drink containers…

Why My Phone Battery Never Lasts A Day: 4 Tips To Make Your Battery Last Longer

We all share the pain of our smartphone dying when we need it the most, which leaves us thinking "why did I play that extra game of Candy Crush?!". Ten years ago, phone batteries lasted for days without needing a charge but now, the battery indicator drops even quicker. So, what is happening with your smart phone to make it go flat? So, What’s Going On? When you charge your phone battery, lithium ions move from the cathode, made of lithium cobalt oxide, to the anode, which is made of graphi…

Lamps and tubes in a stillage waiting to be recycled.

Four Easy Steps To Recycling Fluorescent Bulbs And Lighting

Ecocycle is Australia’s largest fluorescent lights recycling company. We also recycle light bulbs that don’t contain mercury. In Australia, disposing of light bulbs usually means dumping millions of them into landfill. The problem is, fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lamps contain mercury. It may only be a small amount per lamp, but with such large volumes involved this waste stream represents a significant source of mercury pollution. It takes just one gram of mercury to contaminate…

Tiny Villains Of Mercury Pollution Are More Common Than We Thought

While mercury in its metallic form is toxic, a bigger problem occurs when mercury spreads into the environment. Once mercury is released into the environment, some types of bacteria convert the metal into methylmercury. This is a far more poisonous substance. It is readily absorbed by fish and other animals, and can build up to dangerous levels as it is concentrated up the food chain, all the way up to humans. Methylmercury is the cause of the devastating Minamata Disease. Now recent resea…

Five ways your business can celebrate Earth Day 2016

Five ways businesses can celebrate earth day April 22 is Earth Day. It represents a global movement to inspire, challenge ideas, ignite passion, and motivate people to take action on environmental issues. The event has come a long way from its founding in 1970 and it is now celebrated by more than one billion people around the world each year. But Earth Day isn’t just for individuals; businesses can get involved too. Here are some ways your business can celebrate ‘Happy New Earth Year’: 1…

How Is Mining Waste Recycled?

Mining waste comes in many forms and varies from harmless to highly hazardous. Much of it has little or no economic value but the mining industry is making an effort to find new uses for waste to reduce environmental impacts. And with the prices of commodities moving up and down by large amounts, what may be waste today can suddenly become a valuable resource tomorrow. Here's a quick look at what happens to some of the leftovers of mining and resource extraction.…

A Victorian Ban on E-Waste Being Sent To Landfill Is Coming

While specific schemes for recycling some types of e-waste exist – things like mobile phones, printer cartridges, computers and TVs – rates of electronic recycling in Victoria are still relatively low. For example, under the national stewardship program for recycling televisions and computers, just 37% of discarded items are required to be recycled in 2015-2016. That’s a fraction of the final target of 80% by 2026, and for many other types of electronic waste the recycling rate is effectively…

Ecocycle acquires Ecocycle Australia

Ecocycle are pleased to announce the acquisition of Ecocycle Australia, effective from 1st October 2015. Ecocycle will take on board all existing Ecocycle Australia clients, continuing to offer a comprehensive recycling and recovering solution for their existing clients. All customers and suppliers previously working with Ecocycle Australia are advised that all assets that were used in carrying out business are now owned by Ecocycle. This includes all stillages (used for storing and transp…

Pat A Pig Or Go Into Hiding: Extreme Ways To Address Dentist Phobia

How would you like to start your next visit to the dentist? Fondle a ferret? Pat a pig? Or perhaps chase a dachshund? These are some of the possibilities at the practice of Welsh dentist Dr Mark Boulcott. In addition to pigs, ferrets and dogs, Mark’s ‘zoo’ has terrapins, horses and a variety of birds to help put his patients at ease. He says that the element of surprise means that his rather extreme approach to tackling fear of the dentist works with both adults and children. And with childre…

Where Does Mercury Come From?

Mercury is an environmental hazard that is used by industry, which can cause mercury poisoning and deadly Minamata Disease, but where exactly does it come from? Fact is, it is a natural part of our environment. It occurs pretty much everywhere, but mostly in such tiny quantities that it doesn’t cause any harm. The problem is that mercury and its chemical compounds turned out to be useful for all sorts of things. The colourful mineral cinnabar, or mercury sulphide, has been used as a pigment f…

Behold The Beauty Of The Humble Light Bulb

Good old incandescent globes have been lighting our way for over a century. Most of us install them and discard them without a second look, but have you ever peered inside a light globe and wondered how these little marvels of engineering are made? Here’s the video to satisfy your curiosity. Watch carefully for the part where the all-important filament gets added. It’s quite an engineering feat in its own right. The spiral that we can see with the naked eye is actually a ‘coiled coil’ that neatl…

Extra Cash Every Week For Victorian Sparkies with VEET

Victorian electrical contractors are saving their customers heaps of money just by changing a few light globes. With a lot of the cost covered by a state government rebate, householders and businesses are jumping at the chance to ditch their halogens, incandescent globes and even fluorescent lighting in favour of new, energy efficient lights. That’s creating a lot of work for Victoria’s switched-on sparkies, but the good times won’t last forever. Get Started with VEET There are a couple of …

The Victorian Scheme That Helps Sparkies Help The Environment

UPDATE: If you're a sparky that wants to get started with the VEET scheme, click here to find out how. The VEET is a fantastic initiative, and one that we fully support. Electricians can actually make money by helping households and businesses to save money. The scheme makes it cheaper to ditch energy-guzzling appliances and lighting for more energy-efficient replacements and it is cutting Victoria’s carbon dioxide emissions by millions of tons each year. That’s good news. The bad news is…

Do You Work With Mercury? The Four Things You Must Know About The Minamata Convention

Many people who work with mercury don’t even know it. It is present in fluorescent lighting, some types of dental, medical and mining waste, and in a wide range of industrial equipment. If you have anything to do with these industries, your obligation for their safe disposal is about to increase. We've put together four key things you need to know about Minamata, and what it means for you and your business. 1. The Minamata Convention Keeps Mercury Out Of Our Environment And Waterwa…

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