Far North joins national eDay effort to recycle computer and electronic waste

Far North residents can dispose of their old PCs, computer peripherals and mobile phones free of charge on national eDay (Saturday 4th October).

eDay is a free computer recycling event being held in 32 centres throughout New Zealand and is expected to divert 1000 tonnes of potentially toxic waste from landfills. Last year the nationwide event diverted 480 tonnes of electronic materials.

The drive-through event enables residents in the Far North to recycle their old computer equipment and mobile phones in an environmentally-friendly way, and is aimed at raising awareness about the environmental and health dangers of dumping electronic waste (e-waste) in landfills.

Locations for the 2008 e-Day collection in the Far North are the Kaikohe Waste Station in Station Road at Kaikohe and the Resource Recovery Centre in Church Road at Kaitaia. Both collection points will be manned by volunteers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday 04 October 2008.

eDay 2008 is a drive-through event and is open to cars only. Businesses and schools are advised to contact their local eDay organiser, Bruce Hows, at the Far North District Council on 0800 920 029 or visit www.eday.org.nz for alternate disposal options and more information about e-waste.

It is anticipated eDay in the Far North will attract about 15- 20 tonnes of e-waste.

National Organiser and Chairperson of the Computer Access New Zealand Trust (CANZ), Laurence Zwimpfer, said e-waste and its toxic materials, including lead and mercury from old computers, is globally the fastest growing type of waste being sent to landfill - posing a potential toxic hazard for people, animals and the environment.

“Our aim with eDay is to educate New Zealanders of the dangers of dumping e-waste in landfill while giving them the opportunity to dispose of unwanted computer items in a safe way”, said Mr Zwimpfer.

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. Organisers expect a two to three year lifespan for the event until legislative change is implemented and industry product stewardship schemes take effect.

Only computers, computer peripherals such as printers and scanners, gaming consoles and mobile phones can be recycled in the eDay collection. Other electronic equipment including televisions and stereos will not be accepted.

“We know that TVs and other electronic equipment pose similar threats to our environment, but because of the huge variety in size and weight of this equipment, we don’t think it is fair to ask volunteers to handle TVs,” said Mr Zwimpfer. “The best advice we can give is for the public to hold onto their old TVs until sustainable solutions are available.”

CANZ advises people to wipe all data from computer hard drives as well as removable media such as floppy disks and PC cards before handing them over for collection.

The event is supported nationally by The Ministry for the Environment, 2020 Communications Trust, KiwiRail, Pub Charity, Computer Recycling Limited, the NZ Lotteries Commission, Dell, Toshiba, Trade Me, The Laptop Company and the Ministry of Education which funds the Computer Access NZ Trust.

The Far North event is also being supported locally by Monty Knight's RetraVision at Kaitaia, Cleanstream Northland, Waste Works Ltd and the Far North District Council.