DID YOU KNOW:
Half a million new computers come into NZ every year
Every year 15,000 tonnes of electronics comes into NZ
e-waste is the fastest growing type of waste in the world
Computers contain toxic heavy metals e.g. cadmium & lead
Computer casing and wiring contains hazardous materials
One computer screen contains at least 2kgs of lead
Plastics in e-waste take 100-400 years to break down and emit highly toxic dioxins.
These disturbing facts are behind eDay an annual national event organised by the National 2020 Communications Trust and Computer Access NZ .
At Hamilton’s second eDay, held on Sunday October 5, 2008, at Mainfreight, Foreman Road, a grand total of 90 tonnes of e-waste was collected, more than twice the amount we collected at our 2007 eDay. That total was second highest in the country, after Wellington (122 tonnes) and Christchurch (68 tonnes).
Pictured (photo courtesy Waikato Times); John McCosh (centre) making his delivery to eDay, where it was unloaded by volunteer Mike Safey (right) while volunteer Michael Dye (left) recorded brand information. For more eDay photos ‘(insert more’ link to photo page).
eDay is an opportunity for households, community groups and small businesses to clear their garages and cupboards of computer equipment and old mobile phones, to be recycled for free. It provides the chance to dispose of electronic waste (e-waste) quickly in an environmentally-friendly way and aims to raise awareness about the dangers of e-waste dumped in landfills. e-waste contains heavy metals such as lead and cadmium that when put into landfill can harm our groundwater. eDay is not the solution to this problem but a step in the right direction.
A quick survey of the public at eDay 2008 provided us with information about where the public heard about the event, who they thought should be responsible for electrical goods disposal and if they were aware of any issues surrounding e-waste going to landfill. To find out more about the Waikato eDay 2008 contact director@wainet.org for an electronic copy of the Waikato report.
Waikato 2020 Communications Trust acknowledges the hours of organisational support, cash and in -kind sponsorship provided by the Hamilton City Council Sustainable Environment Team, Velocity Networks and Easy Technology.
An estimated 100 tonnes of e-waste is expected to be collected for recycling from Waikato households, schools and community groups at this year’s Hamilton eDay on Saturday, September 12.
Computer Access New Zealand (CANZ) has announced another national eDay (free computer recycling day) aimed at diverting over 1,000 tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) from landfills in up to 40 regions, an increase from the 31 regions (including Waikato) that participated in 2008.
Hamilton’s 2009 eDay (one day only) drop-off venue will be Habitat for Humanity, Bryant Road Te Rapa. The Waikato 2020 Communications Trust event is again being planned and funded in partnership with Hamilton City Council, Velocity Networks Ltd and councils around the region, who will offer local community collections.
Hamilton eDay Coordinator, Janet Leggett, said more cash and in-kind sponsorship is needed to support the local event. Businesses and organisations who want to show their green colours can donate equipment and manpower in return for their own drop off bay and recognition as an event supporter.
e-waste is the fastest growing waste problem globally and New Zealand is no exception; over 87,000 computer related items were diverted from landfills at last year’s eDay, including 90 tonnes collected from around the Waikato region and dropped to the Hamilton eDay site.
Now in its third year, the annual eDay event is the only nationwide community e-waste recycling event for disposing of computer items and mobile phones in an environmentally sustainable way, at no cost to the public.
”The passing into legislation of the Waste Minimisation Act in September 2008 was an important step forward in developing a long-term sustainable solution but it could take another three years before e-waste schemes are fully operational. We are pleased to announce another eDay to ensure that hazardous and scarce materials are not buried in our landfills in the interim,” said Laurence Zwimpfer, Chairperson of CANZ and organiser of the eDay event.
Securing funding for eDay is the biggest challenge for CANZ, and Waikato 2020 Communications Trust, both not-for-profit trusts, in the current economic climate. The programme relies on support from a wide range of partners including computer manufacturers and distributors, businesses, community trusts, local authorities and central Government. Mr Zwimpfer says we all have a responsibility to help protect our environment and welcomes further support.
”There are real costs involved in collecting and safely recycling e-waste and we rely 100% on sponsorship and volunteers, hence we’d welcome support from anyone willing to help us ensure that our old computers are properly recycled. This means that scarce and valuable materials can be reused rather than buried in our landfills,” he says.
National transport operator KiwiRail and international e-waste recycler, CRTNZ, are again confirmed as national partners for 2009. “We are delighted that both these partners who helped us in 2008 are willing to provide support again. KiwiRail is providing a sustainable transport option for freighting e-waste to central points and, after evaluating a number of proposals, CRTNZ was selected to provide logistics and recycling support,” said Mr Zwimpfer.
Corporate support is being led by Meridian Energy. Other confirmed corporate supporters include More FM, Dell, Canon, Printlink, The Laptop Company, Trade Me, InternetNZ, Chorus and NZICT.
A key component of the eDay programme is School eDay which will again be taking place this year. School eDay is being supported at the national level by Equico and the Ministry of Education. School eDay enables schools to safely dispose of unused computer equipment while teaching students about the benefits of recycling and the risks of disposing of e-waste in landfills. In 2008, 20% of the total e-waste collected (nearly 200 tonnes) came from schools and a similar amount is expected this year
As well as e-waste disposal information, all schools will be provided with educational posters and a downloadable schools’ kit that contains fun activities for students to learn about sustainable e-waste disposal and IT energy conservation. With the support of the Microsoft NZ Partners in Learning Programme and NTICED, an Australian educational software developer, the kit will include a new activity utilising the animation software MARVIN and eDay’s e-Waste Eddie character.
eDay and School eDay give people the chance to dispose of their old computer equipment and mobile phones quickly in an environmentally-friendly way, and are aimed at raising awareness about the importance of recovering and reusing valuable metals (copper, aluminium) and other materials (plastics, glass) as well as the environmental and health dangers of dumping e-waste in landfills.
Event updates will be posted on the eDay website, www.eday.org.nz, as venue details and school drop-off centres are confirmed. Volunteers wishing to help out at an eDay in their area are invited to sign-up online at the eDay website.
CANZ and eDay are initiatives of the 2020 Communications Trust. The 2020 Communications Trust has been supporting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in communities throughout New Zealand for more than 12 years and Waikato 2020 Communications Trust has done so in this region for the past 8 years.