old tvWhen television first arrived on the scene, most people could not afford one; they were just far too expensive compared to the average income. Now, after many years, a lot has changed. Televisions are now affordable to just about everyone, and because of all the technological advancements it is now almost normal to buy a new TV every few years – long before it stops working.

Isn’t it great that we can watch digital television now? And soon we will be able to watch 3D programs at home and see our favourite characters popping out of our tellie. All these new developments really do tempt us to ‘upgrade’ and get rid of our ‘old’ TVs sooner and sooner.

However, all these new TVs means there is a huge increase in the number of televisions ending up in Australia’s landfills; televisions that are each laden with about two kilograms of toxic chemicals. The introduction of digital television and the imminent arrival of 3D TV are set to cause a massive disposal crisis.

In 2009, Australians bought two million televisions, a 100 per cent increase on the previous year. Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, is increasing three times faster than any other kind of rubbish. It’s easy to see that e-waste is becoming a huge problem and while many people want to get rid of their TV correctly, most don’t know how. In fact only 10 per cent of old TVs were recycled in 2007-2008, even though they are 98 per cent recyclable!

What a waste! And, it turns out that we don’t only want to dispose of our old televisions, but also our computers, microwaves, phones, cameras, DVD and video players, hairdryers, printers, … the list goes on and on. So much so that the volume of e-waste is growing at a faster rate than household waste and is now leading to serious environmental damage when sent to landfill. Did you know that Australians generate 140,000 tonnes of e-waste each year? It’s staggering!

In November 2009, the federal government and TV manufacturers and importers agreed to a scheme to help combat the e-waste problem. Under the new National Television and Computer Product Stewardship, manufacturers and importers will collect and recycle their own products, such as televisions and computers. A small additional fee will be added to the price of new electronic goods that people buy to cover the collection at the end of its life.

The program is set to start next year (2011), which means there will still be a lot of e-waste going to landfill until it gets underway. So, what can you do with your old television, computer or camera until then?

Luckily there are some organisations and companies that have decided not to wait until the government implements its program. Instead they have come up with their own solutions, to help people like you and me, who don’t know what to do with all that electronic stuff we no longer want or need. Here are a few examples:

  • The City of Sydney has a campaign called Zero Waste, to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill. They organise e-waste recycling days, where you can drop off lots of stuff for recycling for free, for example televisions, scanners, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, projectors and electronic games.
  • Hewlett Packard has a campaign called ‘Replace, Recycle, Reward’, that gives small to medium-sized businesses the opportunity to receive discounts when purchasing a new HP notebook, desktop or workstation PC. They will pick up the old machine for recycling, and reward the company with up to $ 1,500. Note this offer expires on 31 October 2010.
  • Reverse Garbage is a creative re-use organisation that tries to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Their Re-use Centre in Marrickville (NSW) provides low priced, useful and unusual materials for use in arts, craft, education, home renovation and other activities. They collect all kind of e-waste to funnel back into the re-use chain.
  • There are many more around Australia see the links at the end of the story.

So there definitely are some ways to act green when getting rid of your old television or phone! You can also try to make someone else happy with it. Perhaps you don’t need your phone/computer/hairdryer anymore, but someone else may be very happy with it. Ask around in your family and circle of friends, try freecycling and don’t forget some charities will also take these items – but you may need to check with them first.

Take a stand! Don’t let the pile of e-waste get any bigger! Recycle! And fight to put a stop to those landfills full of tellies.


Links:


You can find other businesses that can hep you recycle your e-waste in the Recycling & Waste section in our Business Directory.


Written by Ilse Savenije


Image Credits:
Top - James Vaughan via Flickr Creative Commons
Bottom - Todd Wickersty via Flickr Creative Commons