Link to Brisbane Computer Recyclers

2,201,433 Kgs of electronic waste saved from landfill so far..... and were are still counting. Well done to those who care!

Not in my backyard!! - 2009 the ewaste problem.

Its fair to say that around half of all Australian households now have a computer and over 80% use the Internet at home and the small to large business have between 2 and up to 500+ computers in there office areas. In a technology-loving nation it's a fair to say that the computer you're using at home or work isn't your first and 80% of busuness upgrade every 2 - 3 years once the lease or warranty has ended.

Who knows what happened to the old computers? What's being done with the mounting pile of e-waste that is being accumulated daily?

Australia is currently one of the top ten countries using information and communication technology, ranking tenth in the world for spending per capita and fifth in the world for spending as a percentage of gross domestic product. In short, we love spending money on gadgets.

However, with the constant drive to have the newest and latest technology comes the inevitable wastage of the 'old' products they supersede. Obsolete technology, or 'e-waste' is one of the fastest growing waste types and the problem of e-waste is not limited to Queenlsand or for that matter Australia, it is world wide. New technology is constantly being developed, there is rapid adoption of this technology and there is an increasing speed with which this technology reaches it end of life.

There are an estimated 12 million computers in use around Australia since 2009. It is expected that over this year a further 2.1 million computers will enter the market, while 3 million will reach the end of their life. This amounts to thousands of tonnes of 'e-waste' made up of obsolete computers along with broken monitors, used toner and ink cartridges, modems, printers and a range of other peripherals and consumables. The question is "Where have Australia 's unwanted computers and IT waste gone?"

Why ewaste is a problem?

In Australia we're reasonably good at recycling the ususal hosehold rubbish and all the waste products can be collected through council kerbside collections and council waste or landfill sites around Australia. The materials collected through kerbside collections and council waste or landfill sites around Australia are largely basic materials - such as glass, aluminium, mixed paper and food scraps - that can be sorted and some products can be resold on the commodity market. The difficulty with electronic waste and many other products is that they are made from a huge range of component materials that are useless for further manufacture until the product is dismantled and the component materials are separated - often a very difficult and expensive process.

Computers and other electronic equipment are made from hundreds of different materials. Many of these materials are valuable, such as gold and platinum, and many are non-renewable. If they can be extracted they can be reused in manufacture again as a 'secondary' raw material. For every 10 computers 1 gram of gold can be extracted through recycling.

The nasties in e-waste, heavy metals including lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic are used in electronic equipment. When disposed of they can leach from landfill sites into the water table. Brominated-flame retardants used in computer equipment are both an occupational and environmental health threat. Printer inks and toners often contain toxic materials such as carbon black and cadmium. It is these environmental health implications that have put e-waste under the spotlight of international governments and environmentalists alike.

Local Solutions

Picture 1: Printers and monitors destined for munching and sent to be melted down for re-making of new products..

There are a few Australian initiatives like PC Disposals PTY LTD that are starting the assault on the mountain of e-waste and unfortunately we are starting small. The problem with the current e-waste recyling is that Australian e-waste recycling started around 2 years ago on a serious scale, in comparison to Canada or the USA which stared around 20 years ago, so we have alot of catching up to do. Companies who handle ewaste only recycle a small amount in comparison to what is discarded everyday. PC Disposals has always been a believer that Governments have to get those who are skilled or semi-skilled unemployed on work for the dole schemes, semi retired or appropriately skilled people to assist companies who are actively involved in recycling ewaste. Governments have to start helping companies with the initiative to recycle e-waste before the problem gets too large to handle.

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