New electronic waste facility for Hamilton

A new electronic waste collection facility is scheduled to open early next year in Hamilton.

The new facility, at 8A Jolly Street in Frankton, will collect and disassemble a range of domestic electrical appliances (“e-waste”) so components and materials can be reused and recycled.

The Hamilton RCN e-Cycle site will be operated by Raglan-based recycling organisation Xtreme Waste Incorporated, in conjunction with nationwide company RCN Group, says City Waters Manager Tim Harty. Hamilton City Council signed a service agreement with both organisations last week, and Mr Harty says the new facility is expected to be open in January next year.

Council has committed $24,000 towards the first year’s lease of the Jolly Street site. The funding is sourced from Council’s waste levy income which is generated through a nationally targeted rate on landfill disposal and administered by the Ministry for the Environment. Councils are required to allocate these funds towards waste minimisation activities.

Hamilton will join 21 sites around the country providing everyday recycling of electronic waste. A minimum of 15 new sites will open nationwide between now and June 2012. RCN Group and Community Recycling Network (CRN) have received funding from the Ministry for the Environment to form the RCN e-Cycle scheme, and are recognised as industry leaders in the disposal of electronic items.

Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing and most toxic waste streams. Electronic items contain toxic heavy metals and chemicals that can harm land, water and people.

Mr Harty says RCN Group has transparent and effective separation and processing methods, and demonstrated to Council the components and materials of the electronic items will avoid conventional dumping methods and proceed to certified international recyclers. Materials which have to be sent offshore go to ISO 14001 accredited factories. Circuit boards will be shipped to Japan for further processing and reuse of precious metals, leaded glass from TV and computer screens will be shipped to Australia for recycling, while metals, clean glass (from part of cathode ray tube televisions) and cabling will be reused by New Zealand industries for various products.

The Ministry for the Environment estimates 80,000 tonnes of e-waste goes to New Zealand landfills each year. “RCN Group estimates its collaboration with Xtreme Waste, on behalf of Council, will divert between 120 and 250 tonnes of electronic waste from landfill every year,” Mr Harty says.

RCN project manager Jon Thornhill says “There will be a strong focus on the recycling of TV materials as New Zealand switches to digital television broadcasting next year.” The digital switchover will start next year and will lead to a flood of TVs being discarded. It’s really important to get a nationwide recycling scheme in place for electronic waste before then. Mr. Thornhill said that RCN e-Cycle is advocating for product stewardship for electronic waste. “In the long term, manufacturers and importers of electronic goods need to be responsible for the end-of-life recycling of their products. We are doing everything we can to make that happen.”

The new national network of e-Cycle sites replaces the eDay programme which was never a long-term solution. “eDay did a great job of alerting people to the growing problem of electronic waste and how toxic it is,” says Mr Thornhill. “But it’s not practical for people to keep stockpiling electronic waste in their garages all year.”

E-Cycle Hamilton will be a permanent facility, initially open four days per week (Wednesday/Thursday and Friday/Saturday) from 9am to 4.30pm. The facility will operate on a “user pays” basis: customers who offload large TVs will be charged $20 per unit, $2 per keyboard, and $5 per computer hard drive. Photocopiers and toner cartridges can also be disposed of at the site.

“Although there will be a small charge for disposal, customers can take confidence from the fact their e-waste will be dealt with in an ethical and environmentally-friendly way,” Mr Harty says.

The user-pays method of e-waste disposal has already proven successful in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Mr Harty says.