E-waste recycling just got a whole lot easier for New Zealand with the launch of TechCollect’s free e-waste collection and recycling pilot program.
ANZRP has partnered with New Zealand retailer OfficeMax to provide a convenient network of 16 retail locations throughout the country, helping people drop off their unwanted e-waste – for free!
The pilot program aims to recycle thousands of kilograms of e-waste and is supported by some of the world’s leading electronics brands including Dell, Microsoft, Toshiba, Canon, Epson and HP.
Warren Overton estimates that up to 50,000 kilograms of e-waste could potentially be recycled that would otherwise end up in landfill.
“TechCollect was developed to capture end-of-life electronics and commit them to a downstream recycling process and, given the ongoing growth in e-waste, will go a long way to achieving a circular economy,” he said.
“It’s great to see some of the world’s leading technology brands supporting the New Zealand pilot program despite there being no mandatory requirement for them to do so,” said Warren.
OfficeMax’s Sustainability Manager Julie Roberts says the company is taking charge by offering the free recycling of e-waste for the first time to combat the mountain of waste generated by the nation’s growing tech obsession.
“As consumer habits become more fickle, we’ve seen an increase in the amount of hard waste that hasn’t been recycled or recycled correctly.” said Julie.
“We’ve worked very hard with ANZRP to bring its successful TechCollect service to New Zealand,” she said.
The initiative comes amid recent revelations that New Zealanders are among the world’s worst e-waste offenders, producing an estimated 20kg per person each year, according to the International Telecommunications Union.
Customers can bring unwanted equipment including printers, computers, tablets and computer peripherals (old keyboards, mice, hard drives, cables, power supplies), cameras and video cameras into OfficeMax stores.
Croxley Recycling – a leading New Zealand Environmental Choice licensed e-waste recycler – will collect and process the e-waste from the OfficeMax stores ensuring regulatory requirements are met.
Croxley currently processes more than 200 tonnes of recyclable material each year, including non-biodegradable plastics and is the only recycler to offer a secure pathway to repurpose electrical waste products.
Find out more at techcollect.nz.
