Free recycling period nets over ten thousand TVs

There was a last minute rush as the 16 day free TV recycling period came to an end in Hawke’s Bay on Sunday.

The free recycling period began on Saturday October 13th after the analogue TV signal in Hawke’s Bay was switched off at the end of September.

Staff at the recycling depot in St Aubyn Street Hastings were rushed off their feet, as the recycling period came to an end on Sunday afternoon (28th October). The deadline of 4pm was extended by half an hour as staff struggled to handle the last minute rush. The final count at the Hastings depot saw 10,300 TV sets being sent for recycling at RCN e-Cycle’s plants in Auckland or Wellington. A total of 5300 vehicles visited the site over the 16 days and the TVs have filled 44, 20 foot shipping containers.

Hastings District Council Waste Minimisation Officer Dominic Salmon says “The response has been overwhelming to this community campaign. Having over 10,000 TVs sent away for recycling has removed an enormous amount of waste material that may have been destined for the landfill.”

“Hastings District Council is indebted to Stephen Rickets from Mitre Mega for his support of the campaign, by allowing the old Mitre Ten site in St Aubyn Street to be used as a recycling depot.”

Anyone who still has an old TV which may need to be disposed of can take it to the Environment Centre in Russell Street, Hastings, the Henderson Road recycling centre or to several TV retailers that are involved in the TV Takeback scheme. A small recycling fee will be charged at most of those dropoff off points.

Hastings District Council partnered with RCN e-Cycle and the Environment Centre as part of the TV Takeback project with funding for the recycling of the TVs being provided from the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund.

TV Takeback is a project of the Ministry for the Environment.  For more information on where you can recycle your old TV visit www.tvtakeback.govt.nz

                 Where do the components of your TV end up?
·         Glass is recycled in New Zealand and used in roading aggregate.

·         Glass funnels are recycled overseas into new products containing glass.

·         Metal is melted down and made into new products such as construction material

·         Copper wire is removed and recycled in New Zealand.

·         Circuit boards are recycled overseas.

·         Aluminum is removed and recycled in New Zealand.

·         The recycled material has a variety of uses. Leaded glass is used in the smelting industry. Copper from around the electron gun can be used in cabling for home appliances including toasters, kettles and lighting. Degaussing wire that sits around the front of the screen is high grade iron that can be recycled into metal goods, such as nails, nuts and bolts.