Aussie offices pledge support to recycle e-waste

Australian businesses have pledged support to recycle their old electronic waste (e-waste) for today’s inaugural TechCollect ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ Day.

Businesses are being encouraged to take a look around the office and search out cupboards or storage rooms that may be hoarding old computers and accessories, printers and TVs as part of the recycling initiative — and at the same time, take shared responsibility for their e-waste.

TechCollect is an industry-funded, free to the public, national electronic waste (e-waste) recycling service, established in response to the federal government’s National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS).

“It has been great to see so many Australian businesses throwing their support behind this initiative — and commit time to making a positive impact on the environment and the wider community by recycling their e-waste at their nearest TechCollect drop-off site,” said Carmel Dollisson, CEO of TechCollect.

“‘Waste Not, Want Not’ Day is just one day in the calendar, but businesses can commit to being e-waste friendly all year round. Many businesses are unaware that their technology contains valuable resources, the majority of which can be recovered and put back into the manufacturing process.”

The average employee reportedly generates 1.7 tonnes of total waste in the workplace per year, with only half of this actually being recycled.

TechCollect said research also shows that 80% of employees want to see more recycling in their workplaces, and 71% believe that having access to recycling facilities at work makes them feel like they work for a responsible employer.

“Businesses are good at recycling paper, cardboard and toners among other items, but we need to build on this effort,” said Dollisson.

“When businesses throw out their old computers and televisions rather than taking them to a designated drop-off site for recycling, these non-renewable resources are essentially lost forever.”

To find out more information about TechCollect or to find a designated drop-off site closest to you, visit www.techcollect.com.au.

Image courtesy of Samuel Mann under CC