With much of the waste generated by businesses and households containing substances that cannot safely be used for landfill, Australia is creating some new methods of disposing of technology-oriented waste.
The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme intends to increase Australia’s technology recycling rate from 17% to 80% by the year 2021-22. The scheme invites small businesses and households to leave their printers, computers, computer accessories, and television sets at designated drop-off points.
Recently, Springvale Town Hall became the first drop-off point for the Dandenong region. More points will be rolled out during 2013. Bruce Rendall, the director of engineering services for the Greater Dandenong area, told the Dandenong Leader that the scheme gave people who wanted to recycle their TVs and computers an ideal opportunity.
Technology recycling includes televisions, scanners, computer peripherals, printers, drives, cables, keyboards, mice, monitors, and laptops. All over the world, specialised recycling schemes for such items as computers, batteries, food waste, and textiles have arisen due to a need to efficiently dispose of potentially harmful parts of such items. Various methods, including poster printing, have been used to publicise such recycling schemes.
The National Waste Policy was formulated in 2009 by all Australian environment ministers. The policy is intended as a guide for decreased production of waste over the next decade. The policy was formulated as a response to the failure of current waste recycling efforts to keep up with waste generation. Among the aims of the policy are managing waste as a resource and contributing to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
