Out of the 50 million tonnes of electrical waste, otherwise commonly known as e-waste, generated globally each year approximately 700 thousand tonnes of it comes from Australia. Despite this many cities and municipal authorities have taken proactive steps to increase the collection and recycling of e-waste.
Disposal of waste is becoming more strict in Australia so usually, you are required to sort your trash before taking it to the local waste management centre. E-waste is defined as any old and scrap electronic devices that are no longer useful or damaged beyond repair, e-waste is typically organized into the following categories:
- Consumer electronics; cellphones, e-readers, game consoles, tablets, TVs.
- Home appliances; air conditioners, clothes dryers, electric ovens, freezers, fridges, washing machines
- Lighting; lamps, lightbulbs, fluorescent lights.
- Office equipment; desktops computers, laptops, monitors, printers, projectors and scanners
- Power tools; circular saws, compressors, drills and sanders.
- Sports equipment and toys; electronic musical instruments, electric scooters.
Even though there are many categories of electronic waste, there are also, fortunately, a fair few ways to dispose of e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner which you can read more about below.
Rent a Skip
When doing a house clearance or preparing for renovations, the e-waste you want to throw out will probably be part of a much larger amount of trash you need to get rid of. During most jobs like this people decide to rent a skip bin, however, if you want to ensure your e-waste is being recycled by the skip company then you can do some research with this Adelaide skip hire service to get a good idea of waste disposal services available. There is of course a cost to hiring a skip bin but they do come in a range of sizes so you can get a more affordable 4 cubic metre bin for around $200-$300.
Take Electronic Waste to a Recycling Centre
If you only have a few items of e-waste or can easily fit most of it in your car or truck, then one option for getting rid of your old electronics is taking them to a local recycling facility.
E-waste recycling centres can be found in most major Australian cities and towns where e-waste is collected and then either refurbished or harvested for valuable components and metals.
Donate Old Electronics
One option to get rid of your old electronics that are running a bit slow and just need some repairs is to give them to a student who can’t afford a new laptop for example. Alternatively, you might want to consider donating them to an NGO that will refurbish and redistribute them to where they are most needed.