Government needs stronger plan for ewaste

The eDay Trust released its eWaste Manifesto today, calling on all political parties to support a strong and sustainable plan for addressing New Zealand’s increasing amount of toxic electronic waste (ewaste) in landfills.

Every New Zealander currently generates 19kg of ewaste each year; this is projected to grow to 27kg per person by the year 2030. However there is still no legislated scheme to manage this waste. 85,000 tonnes of ewaste are disposed of into landfills in New Zealand every year.

The development of an industry-led product stewardship scheme with regulatory support from Government is the single most important recommendation in the Manifesto.

The eDay Trust has advocated for this product stewardship scheme to be put in place since 2010– a scheme that means that the cost of recycling is built into the price of new products so New Zealanders can recycle responsibly at no extra cost when the equipment reaches end of life.

“This is effective in many OECD countries but New Zealand is lagging behind,” said Laurence Zwimpfer, Chair of the eDay NZ Trust. “What we need is a permanent and sustainable solution, and this now needs some urgent action by Government,” he continued.

The Government has supported a number of short-term ewaste collection and recycling initiatives. These have included the annual eDay computer collection events from 2006 to 2010, the RCN e-Cycle scheme from 2010 to 2014 and the TV Takeback programme from 2012-2014. Together, these activities over 10 years have diverted around 800,000 electronic devices from landfills at a cost to the Government of around $20 million (or $25 per device). But during the same 10 years an estimated 10 million new computers and TVs were sold in New Zealand.

“None of these initiatives have resulted in a long-term sustainable solution. The volumes of new electronic equipment are expanding at 10 times the rate of the current Government’s recycling efforts,” said Mr Zwimpfer.

Research carried out by UMR Research, NZIER and the Wellington Waste Forum over the last 10 years has consistently shown consumer support for a scheme where the cost of recycling is built into the purchase price of new equipment.

“So, given this consumer preference and the high cost to government of supporting short-term recycling initiatives, we can’t understand why Government does not want to work with industry to solve this problem once and for all,” said Mr Zwimpfer. “All Government has to do is to declare ewaste a priority product under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and set a timetable for compulsory product stewardship. We look forward to a new government giving this issue the priority it deserves to create a long-term sustainable solution for all ewaste,” he concluded.

ENDS

The eDay New Zealand Trust

The eDay New Zealand Trust was established in 2010 to take over the work of Computer Access New Zealand, a special project of the 20/20 Trust. eDay’s primary focus at the time was to manage the annual ewaste collection events for computer equipment. In 2010, 18,274 cars dropped off 869 tonnes of computer waste at over 60 locations throughout New Zealand and the Cook Islands. Despite the evident success of the collection events, the Government withdrew its support in 2011, citing a preference for “everyday” collection facilities rather than a one-day annual event. The eDay Trust remains committed to a long-term product stewardship solution.

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