Are your storage cabinets filling up with old hard drives, monitors, and laptops? As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it’s easy to find ourselves with a pile of unwanted or broken devices. The competitive environment means that we need to keep up with the latest gadgets, but that’s leading to a growing problem: e-waste.
In 2021 alone, Australians generated a staggering 650,000 tonnes of e-waste. That’s around 20kg per person of phones, laptops, hard drives, monitors, and other electronics that have reached the end of their life. It’s not only a local issue, it’s a global challenge, and while we aren’t going to fix the problem in the short-term, we can start to make some changes to put us on the right path for the future.
What is e-waste?
E-waste is any item that runs on electricity or batteries and is no longer wanted or working. This can include everything from smartphones, laptops, and TVs to large household appliances like fridges and washing machines. Even things like fluorescent light tubes count as e-waste.
What makes e-waste particularly concerning is that it’s the world’s fastest-growing waste stream. In Australia, we’re particularly prone to generating e-waste due to our high rates of technology use and upgrading to the latest devices both personally and in the corporate world. The short lifespan of many tech products, combined with consumer demand for newer, better models, has led to an overwhelming amount of waste.
E-waste currently accounts for 70% of toxic chemicals found in Australian landfills, disrupting ecosystems and endangering human health and wildlife. The good news is that many electronic devices contain precious materials like gold, silver, copper, and platinum which can be recycled. In fact, it’s estimated that global e-waste contains up to US$65 billion in raw materials, with a metal value of over US$370 million.
In Australia, 88% of computers will end up in landfill, despite 98% of the components being fully recycleable.
What actually happens when we recycle e-waste?
When e-waste is recycled, it goes through several stages. First, the devices are disassembled, and components are sorted. The materials are then sent to shredders, which break them down into smaller pieces, ranging from 1 cm to 10 cm in size. These materials are sorted and purified, allowing them to be reused for creating new products.
Here are just a few examples of how recycled materials are put to good use:
- Plastic: Can be turned into plastic fence posts, pallets, toys, keyboards, and more.
- Batteries: Can be refurbished and used as new batteries.
- Precious Metals: Gold, silver, and platinum can be reused.
- Glass: Can be recycled into new screens for TVs and monitors or turned into homeware items.
- Other Metals: Can be repurposed into new products, cables, and wiring.
So what do I do with my e-waste?
- Don’t throw it away: Instead of sending old electronics to landfill, make sure they’re disposed of at a certified e-waste recycling facility.
- Repair and repurpose: Before you toss something out, see if it can be repaired or repurposed. Sometimes a small fix can extend the life of your device.
- Take advantage of e-waste collection programs: Many local councils and retailers offer e-waste collection days or drop-off points where you can safely dispose of old electronics.
- Buy sustainable: When purchasing new electronics, look for brands that offer take-back programs or are committed to sustainability.
Resources
The Australian Government funded the development of Recycle Mate back in 2020 to provide access to a comprehensive, easy-to-use and up-to-date database of all disposal avenues – via kerbside collection and alternative drop-off for e-waste and batteries. Planet Ark also maintains a database of television and computer drop-off points. The following organisations are also government approved to provide recycling services: TechCollect, E-Cycle Solutions, Activ Group.
A recent report by e-waste processor Sircel revealed that only 19% of the top 200 ASX-listed companies mention e-waste in their most recent sustainability reports which means that e-waste is not yet a boardroom priority.
Looking for someone to help produce your Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report? Contact us today to discuss how best to showcase your sustainability initiatives for investors and customers.
* Data sourced from The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; ‘Plugging Australia’s e-waste gap’ report, October 2024, Sircel.
