New Zealand is the only country in the OECD without a national e-waste scheme. While New Zealand has AS/NZS standards for e-waste recycling practices, these are not mandatory.
The average New Zealander produces more than 20 kilograms of e-waste every year – one of the highest per capita amounts on the planet – yet we’re the only country in the entire OECD without a national e-waste scheme.
Of the 80,000 or so tonnes of e-waste we produce each year, the best estimates suggest we recycle less than two percent of that total – a mere 1,600 tonnes.
What is e-waste?
Basically, anything with an electrical cord that needs to be disposed of is classed as e-waste.
When damaged or unwanted e-waste is dumped in landfill, toxic substances such as lead, and mercury contaminate land and leach into water sources causing harm to fish and animal life and pollute the air. The e-waste items often contain valuable non-renewable resources such as aluminium and cobalt so throwing them away means we are having to mine the earth to produce more of these materials.
Why do we charge for e-waste disposal?
Currently the process for recycling components from e-waste in New Zealand is very labour-intensive so costs are determined by labour costs, landfill costs and the price of materials removed.
Mechanical processing rather than manual labour is becoming more common overseas but there is still a cost involved in collecting and shipping to those countries.
Ways to reduce e-waste
There are ways of reducing the amount of e-waste we generate:
- Can the item be reused? Can you donate it to charity or give it to a friend or family member? Can it be upcycled?
- Will the manufacturer take it back? Check to see if they have a product stewardship program where they take back the item they made for recycling.
Always dispose of items at the e-waste area, which will enable the product to be recycled correctly and reduce harm to the environment.
Our Partner
Remark-IT have been at the forefront of the e-waste recycling industry for many years. Remark-IT have not only been an organisation that champions the need for sustainability but have been pioneers in finding innovative solutions to this growing problem. Remark-IT has skilled teams of Engineers and Technicians in house and located throughout the country ready to undertake deployments of any scale.