Can You Recycle Your Television And Computer?

While it makes sense to recycle household items such as food scraps and aluminium cans, even users of eco friendly products might be surprised to find out you can recycle your television, computer, and other electronics, too.

E-waste,can all be recycled instead of thrown away when they come to the end of their useful life.

According to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, the Sunshine Coast e-waste scheme has collected over 1,000 tonnes of electronic waste, or 50,000 discarded computers and televisions, since February 2013.

The program aims to reduce the amount of waste created by electronic devices by offering free service to recycle your television and other e-waste at council landfills and transfer stations, as part of a joint initiative by the Federal Government, DHL, Certified Destruction and Recycling Services and Sunshine Coast Council.

There are also over 400 ‘DropZones’ across Australia, where Australians can dispose of their e-waste responsibly.

What difference does it make?

Environment Portfolio Councillor Jenny McKay stated that the majority of materials within television and computers are recyclable, with up to 95 per cent of materials within your device able to be utilised again.

Plenty of these materials are reused in Australia, with steel, glass, copper, and plastics all recycled here. Other materials, such as circuit boards and lead glass are sent to Hong Kong and Port Pirie for recycling.

The fact that these materials are able to be reused is not the only initiative for recycling – keeping our electronics out of landfill can reduce thousands of tonnes of waste, which can damage the environment.

“In Australia, it is estimated that around 44 million televisions and computers will reach the end of their useful life by 2027-28. That equates to around 181,000 tonnes of waste,” she said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates if the 1.5 million televisions discarded each year in Australia were recycled, we would be able to save 23,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, 520 megalitres of water, 400,000 gigajoules of energy and 160,000 cubic metres of landfill space.

So next time you want to upgrade to the latest plasma flat screen TV or state-of-the-art laptop, remember to recycle your old model just like you do other materials in the house!