eDay is safe for now – what about the other 364 days of the year
Labour’s Energy spokesperson Charles Chauvel has welcomed the Government’s decision to now fund eDay 2010 but said it
still needs a plan to deal with electronic waste on the other 364 days of the year.
eDay, which has been held since 2006, is the day each year when old computer and electronics gear can be taken to
collection points around the country for recycling.
Its future was in doubt after the Ministry for the Environment rejected a bid earlier this week for $1.5 million to pay
for the scheme this year.
"It is good that Environment Minister Nick Smith saw sense yesterday and committed to the continuation of eDay for this
year,” Charles Chauvel said.
"Labour MPs will turn out to volunteer again for it, and I hope Kiwis will at least match the 976 tonnes of e-waste they
dropped off for recycling last year.
“But worrying is Dr Smith’s refusal to consider a plan to ensure that the huge amount – 80,000 tonnes – of e-waste
generated in New Zealand each year will actually be recycled, rather than ending up in landfills around New Zealand.
“Yesterday, I proposed an accredited stewardship scheme under the Waste Minimisation Act for old computer gear, which
would make recycling easier by allowing buyers of new computers to simply drop off their old gear at the store when they
buy new equipment.
“Nick Smith brushed the proposal aside. If he’s got a better plan Kiwis deserve to hear it. E-waste is too big a problem
to ignore,” Charles Chauvel said.