eDay computer collectables up for auction

Media release
For Immediate Release
To:
8 September 2009

eDay computer collectables up for auction

Computer collectors will have the chance to bid for antique and collectable computers in a special Trade Me Charity Auction starting on eDay 12 September.

The charity auction, which opens on Saturday 12 September, is part of eDay 2009, a free computer recycling event which allows New Zealanders to drop-off their unwanted computer equipment, gaming consoles, digital cameras and mobile phones to be safely disposed of and recycled. Antique and collectable computers will be listed progressively on Trade Me starting on eDay.

eDay is organised by Computer Access New Zealand (CANZ) and is aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of recycling computer equipment while offering households, schools and community organisations a convenient way to dispose of their unwanted computer equipment in an environmentally sustainable way.

This year eDay will be taking place in over 40 centres across the country and computer enthusiasts will be at the major eDay sites identifying antique and collectable pieces to be auctioned off in the Trade Me auction. All proceeds raised by winning bidders will go towards covering the cost of recycling e-waste collected at eDay.

The idea for the charity auction came after Trade Me founder Sam Morgan helped out at the Wellington event in 2007 and was horrified to see Mac Classics being taken away to the recycling bin.

This is the second year the charity auction will be held with last year’s auction seeing around 70 hand-picked items, listed in $1 reserve auctions, raise approximately $2,000.

National eDay Organiser and Chairperson of CANZ, Laurence Zwimpfer, said “Last year’s auction resulted in some great old classics such as a Dick Smith System 80 MkII Business Computer finding a new home. The aim of the auction is to help cover some eDay costs, but along the way we expect to make some computer old-timers very happy. We received lots of appreciative comments from successful bidders last year.”

CANZ encourages enthusiasts interested in picking up an antique or collectable computer to visit www.eday.org.nz from 12 September and select the Trade Me auction link from the homepage.

The third national eDay follows on from the success of last year’s event which diverted 946 tonnes of e-waste from landfills at 32 centres from Kaitaia to Invercargill. Organisers are expecting over 1,000 tonnes of e-waste to be collected throughout the country this year.

The annual eDay event is the only community-driven e-waste recycling event for dropping off computer items such as monitors, CPUs and printers, at no cost to the public.

eDay will be held in over 40 centres throughout New Zealand from 9am to 3pm on Saturday 12 September. For site details, visit www.eday.org.nz.

ENDS

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