SA e-waste facility upgraded

The recycling of e-waste will be expanded in Port Pirie as Nyrstar upgrades its facility.

Nyrstar will soon accept a wide range of electronic products, such as printed computer circuit boards, cathode ray tubes, mobile phones and related devices.

It will also accept photovoltaic cells from roof solar panels, alkaline batteries and potentially other batteries such as lead acid and nickel cadmium.

“Featuring proven state-of-the-art technology available in Europe, Asia and North America, the site will be Australia’s first e-waste treatment facility, helping to reduce landfill and recover valuable metal to re-use in consumer products,” said Bertus de Villiers, Nyrstar vice president, metals refining.

Currently, most e-waste generated in Australia is either landfilled or exported.

“South Australia is the only state in Australia that has legislated to ban e-waste from landfill,” said Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Minister Ian Hunter.

“It sets our state apart from the rest of Australia — together with our Container Deposit Legislation, ban on single-use plastic bags and strong track record in recycling and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.”

If sent offshore, e-waste can end up in countries without stringent environmental or health and safety regulations, leading to environmental contamination and hazards for workers recovering e-waste components.

The waste and resource recovery industry employs almost 5000 South Australians. The sector turns over $1 billion each year and contributes more than $500 million to gross state product.

Image credit: ©FreeImages.com/Bartek Ambrozik

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