Trail blazing Rotorua e-waste collection first for NZ

Rotorua District Council (RDC) has become the first local authority in New Zealand to introduce a permanent environmentally friendly e-waste collection facility.

The e-waste collection service started operating this week from the city’s In-Town Recycling Centre on Te Ngae Rd.

It is being run in conjunction with Auckland-based RCN Group and follows the company being awarded a $400,000 grant from the Ministry for the Environment to establish a dedicated e-waste recycling solution in a joint venture with the Community Recycling Network.

Rotorua residents are the first in the country to be able to safely dispose of televisions, computer and network equipment, printers, toners, fax machines, cellphones, laptop batteries and other electronic items every day of the week.

RDC works manager Peter Dine says the trail blazing Rotorua programme is a pilot project that will lead the way for the rest of New Zealand. He said it was a much more comprehensive service than the old once a year eDay which no longer operated in Rotorua.

“The Environment Ministry has for a long time wanted communities to be able to discard their e-waste in a safe and responsible way, and this new operation provides that capability for us here.

“It’s an ethical recycling process and it’s being done properly. It’s not one of those dubious set-ups where all the material gets shipped off-shore and pulled apart on the side of the road.”

Mr Dine says a percentage of the computers collected will be rebuilt and given to charity, as part of the government’s conditions in granting funding to RCN Group.

“We know there’ll be some extra costs for us to run this facility but we won’t have a real fix on that until we see the demand for the service.

“However it’s the right thing to do for the environment and it’s another example of Rotorua being at the forefront of recycling programmes.

Mr Dine pointed out that through the district’s established drop-off recycling services, Rotorua recycled larger volumes of waste and more categories of recyclable materials than most comparable cities that focused on kerbside recycling.

“We expect a bit of a rush at the In-Town Recycling Centre during the early days as people take advantage of the new service to get rid of obsolete computers, old TVs, cell phones and other electronic goods . But eventually it will settle down and we’ll establish a more regular flow.”

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith said the government wanted to ultimately see a nationwide network of 20 permanent depots established for e-waste.

"We need to move beyond just eDay to a permanent solution for New Zealand's electronic waste where we have the capacity to collect and recycle all year round," Dr Smith said.

"This initiative enables us to provide a long-term solution to our electronic waste problem.

"Every computer, cellphone or monitor that doesn't go to landfill reduces pollution and the need for further mineral extraction," he said.

[ENDS]

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