Government urged to highlight tech waste problem
Government urged to highlight tech waste problem
Jan 12, 2005: A Sydney-based recycling firm has issued a plea for the Australian government to do more to reduce the amount of unwanted computer equipment that is sent straight to landfill.
IT Recyclers has initiated a computer recycling service in response to what founder David Allman described as a lack of Australian government legislation and limited options available concerning the disposal of computer e-waste.
"We’ve discovered that many businesses throughout Sydney just aren’t aware of computer recycling, nor the increasing problem e-waste is to Australia’s environment. They tend to dispose of their equipment straight to landfill.
"On the other hand we’ve found many concerned business owners taking interest in the way they treat the environment, but don’t know what to do. Until we approached them with our service, they’ve reluctantly been disposing their unwanted computer equipment straight to waste," said Allman.
Due to an affluent lifestyle and growing population, Australia is one of the world’s largest waste creators after the United States, according to the Federal Department of Environment.
According to Allman, Australia is yet to introduce significant national legislation that would help reduce the amount of computer waste ending up in landfill.
"Australia’s emerging computer recycling industry can’t remain solely responsible for managing e-waste. State and federal governments must also take an active role."
One of the problems is that the rate of technology is moving so fast, businesses as well as consumers tend to update their computer equipment on average every three years.
Estimates by the Australian Federal Department of Environment say that by next year, 1.6 million obsolete computers and associated equipment will be sent to landfill, 1.8 million will be sent to storage, and 16 million will already be sitting in storage awaiting an undetermined fate.
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