E-Waste
September 2018 | David Claridge
IN THE Meander Valley we have various forms of recycling E-waste.
But what exactly is E-waste, and how do people know what to dispose of and where? Justin Jones from Just Waste has answered some questions about how to properly dispose of E-waste and what it actually is.
“As part of the Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group, we provide a free service at both the Westbury and Deloraine refuse sites for people to be able to dispose of their E-waste,” he said.
“We put that into cages. Those cages then go to Melbourne and are put through a recycling process where each item is broken up into thousands of pieces.
“When an E-waste item is broken down, it’s sorted into its precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper. For TV’s and monitors, some have gases which are sucked off and recycled, such as mercury vapour. Any glass is smelted in Adelaide.”
Justin went on to say that what confuses a lot of people is what E-waste actually is, as it is not everything with a power cord. E-waste is limited to the following: TV’s, computers, monitors, printers, and mice.
What E-waste doesn’t include are microwaves, toasters or kettles.
“We can still take those items, but we put them through the scrap metal process,” said Justin.
In the two and a half years since Just Waste implemented their E-Waste plan in Meander Valley they have recycled over 200 tonnes.
Mobile phones and accessories can be collected by Mobile Muster - there is a collection box at both the Deloraine and Mole Creek online access centres, while printer cartridges are collected by Planet Ark. Printer cartridges can also be recycled at both of these locations.
