Officeworks calls on Australians to recycle e-waste

Officeworks is calling on Australian consumers to use National Recycling Week (8–14 November) as an excuse to recycle their old technology gadgets.

According to the Global E-waste Monitor, as of 2019 Australia was the fifth worst offender in the world for e-waste production, with the equivalent of 23 kg per person reported that year.

To address the growing e-waste problem, Officeworks offers a free technology product recycling program. The Bring it Back program allows customers to drop off their old smartphones, printers and print cartridges, batteries, pens and markers free of charge to be recycled.

Officeworks Managing Director Sarah Hunter said Officeworks customers have already recycled more than 1500 tonnes of e-waste and stationery under the program in the past financial year. Meanwhile the partnership with Planet Ark’s Cartridges 4 Planet Ark has seen more than ten million cartridges recycled through the in-store program.

“While working from home during the pandemic, many of us needed to purchase new, or upgrade old technology to meet the demands of remote working. National Recycling Week is a great chance to dig through the drawers, find that old phone, pens or batteries and do the right thing and recycle them,” she said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/aryfahmed