eDay To Deal With Waitaki's eWaste

On Saturday, November 6, Waitaki residents will get the chance to dispose of their old computers and other electronic waste (e-waste) for free, thanks to a nationwide initiative known as ‘eDay’.

eDay was launched in Wellington in 2006 by the Computer Access NZ Trust. It aims to raise awareness about the benefits of recycling computers and the hazardous nature of electronic waste, while offering an easy way for households and schools to dispose of old computers and mobile phones in an environmentally sound way.

Council’s solid waste officer, Gerry O’Neill, said this is the first time eDay had come to Oamaru.

“Thanks to funding from the Ministry for the Environment and other organisations, and the support of the Waitaki Resource recovery Trust and Council, eDay can go ahead in Oamaru for the first time this year.”

Mr O’Neill said e-waste was the fastest growing type of waste in the world and was more toxic than normal household rubbish.

“Dumping e-waste means that valuable space in the landfill is used up and the opportunity to recover and reuse valuable materials from these items is lost. They can also contain hazardous substances, such as lead and mercury, and there is a risk these could leach into surrounding land and waterways.”

This year eDay will be held in more than 40 centres throughout New Zealand. Organisers are aiming to divert as much as 1,300 tonnes of e-waste from landfills, up from last year’s record of 976 tonnes.

Waitaki households and small businesses will be able to drop off their e-waste for free at the Waitaki Resource Recovery Park between 9am and 3pm on Saturday, 6 November.

E-waste that can be dropped off at the Recovery Park on eDay includes computer equipment (such as hard drives, monitors, scanners and keyboards), mobile phones and cameras.

Televisions, radios, stereos, DVD and video players, and other home appliances, cannot be accepted.

Ninety per cent of the e-waste collected nationwide at eDay 2009 has been processed in an environmentally sound manner, with the remaining 10 per cent due to be recycled as part of this year’s event.

For further information about what can and can’t be dropped off, and general information about eDay, please visit www.eday.org.nz