eDay is safe for now – what about the other 364 days of the year       
       
Labour’s Energy spokesperson Charles Chauvel has welcomed the Government’s decision to now fund eDay 2010 but said it still needs a plan to deal with electronic waste on the other 364 days of the year.

eDay, which has been held since 2006, is the day each year when old computer and electronics gear can be taken to collection points around the country for recycling.

Its future was in doubt after the Ministry for the Environment rejected a bid earlier this week for $1.5 million to pay for the scheme this year.

"It is good that Environment Minister Nick Smith saw sense yesterday and committed to the continuation of eDay for this year,” Charles Chauvel said.

"Labour MPs will turn out to volunteer again for it, and I hope Kiwis will at least match the 976 tonnes of e-waste they dropped off for recycling last year.

“But worrying is Dr Smith’s refusal to consider a plan to ensure that the huge amount – 80,000 tonnes – of e-waste generated in New Zealand each year will actually be recycled, rather than ending up in landfills around New Zealand.

“Yesterday, I proposed an accredited stewardship scheme under the Waste Minimisation Act for old computer gear, which would make recycling easier by allowing buyers of new computers to simply drop off their old gear at the store when they buy new equipment.

“Nick Smith brushed the proposal aside. If he’s got a better plan Kiwis deserve to hear it. E-waste is too big a problem to ignore,” Charles Chauvel said.  

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