E-waste refers to any electronic waste with a battery or power cord including old phones, gaming consoles, TVs, vacuum cleaners, and everything in between that you’re looking to get rid of regardless of it being in working or broken order.
According to Clean Up Australia, each year Australians purchase 4 million computers and 3 million TV’s and of this, a massive 88% will end up in landfill. Contributing to the 140,000+ tones of e-waste generated by Australians each year. As well as this e-waste is responsible for 70% of the toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium and mercury found in landfill.
It doesn’t have to be that way though. If half of the televisions discarded in Australia in a given year were recycled, a whopping 23,000 tons of CO2 omissions would be saved.
That’s why at CopperRock, we make it our mission to recycle e-waste properly.
How can I recycle my e-waste?
If you’re looking for e-waste recycling in Melbourne, you can bring your e-waste to CopperRock Recycling Centre and we’ll dispose of and recycle your electronics correctly. All e-waste bought to CopperRrock will be recycled in partnership with EWASTEC.
Nothing is re-sold and all data is destroyed throughout the process. This electronic recycling program ensures that more than 95% of the materials will be diverted from landfill and recycled to use in the making of new electronic goods.
What e-waste can be recycled at CopperRock?
Households and small businesses can drop off the following items for free:
- Televisions – including CRT’s, Plasma, LCD, Projection televisions, etc.
- Computers – including laptops, notebooks, palmtops, tablets, computer monitors, hard drives, internal power supplies, etc.
- Computer Peripherals – including mice, keyboards, game pads, scanners, web cameras, etc.
- Printers – including ink-jet, dot matrix, laser printers, multi-functional devices, etc.
Whilst we do love to recycle, we need to ensure that the e-waste you have is able to be recycled correctly with some items incurring a small $3 recycling fee.
Fee for single e-waste recycling – $3 per item:
- Mobile phones
- Game consoles
- Video recorders
- DVD players
- Radios and stereos
- Power tools
- Appliances – kettles, microwaves, toasters, etc.
- Products that have been exposed to radiation, biological or chemical hazard
CopperRrock charges the $3 per item because we are charged a fee for sorting and collecting your e-waste. That said, we will always attempt to avoid this fee and reallocate the item to other recycling areas if possible.
Also if the e-waste is a part of your bigger recycling load, it will be included in the load charge not in addition to your charges.
Are there other ways to dispose of e-waste?
Although we are a one-stop shop for all your recycling needs, some of the fee incurring items above can be collected by Bayside Council for free in their hard waste collection program, including microwaves, appliances, mobile phones, power tools, and more. You can check out the entire list of council hard waste accepted e-waste here.
There’s also a whole heap of options for electronic recycling and e-waste drop off locations near you! Local stores such as Officeworks, The Good Guys and Betta Home Living accept selected e-waste disposals in store. Check out their website for details on what e-waste they recycle. And of course, Mobile Muster accept old phone in drop off locations or via using their free mail back option.
Local libraries such as Beaumaris and Sandringham libraries also accept donations of unwanted CDs, DVDs and cases which is a fantastic way to give your pre-loved disks a second life.
With so many e-waste drop of locations for correct disposal of your e-waste, it’s never been easier to recycle your old electronics and protect the environment in the process!
If you have any questions on our e-waste policy or want to know more about the products we accept for free you can get in touch with our friendly team here.
