Electrical and electronic waste management in Australia
Australians are early adopters of technology and one of the ten highest nations of consumers of electrical and electronic equipment in the world. This has been influenced by consumer demand to have the latest equipment; the rate of technological change; the planned obsolescence of equipment; and increasing affordability. The rapid take up of new technologies has also led to an increase in the amount of electrical and electronic equipment reaching end-of-life, either being obsolete, damaged or used, and entering the waste stream. These products are known as e-waste.
Why is e-waste an issue?
E-waste is a significant component of the waste stream and is expected to increase. E-waste is growing three times faster than any other type of waste. In 2005 an estimated 697,000 tonnes of electronic and electrical equipment was consumed while 313,000 tonnes was disposed. More information can be found in the 2008 Waste and Recycling in Australia report commissioned by the Australian Government.
E-waste contains hazardous materials including mercury, lead, arsenic brominated flame retardants, beryllium and cadmium. As a party to the 1992 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal ('the Basel Convention'), Australia is required to ensure that: the generation of hazardous wastes and other wastes are minimised; that adequate disposal facilities exist for sound environmental management of wastes; and that managers of waste minimise the risk to human health and the environment (Article 4.2). The Department is responsible for ensuring Australia meets its obligations under the Basel Convention. More information can be found on the Department's Hazardous waste page.
Internationally, programs are being developed or implemented to reduce the environmental impact of electrical and electronic products. The European Union, Canada and Japan have already implemented legislation requiring the recovery and recycling of televisions and computers whilst other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries are in the process of introducing a range of mechanisms to address this issue.
The Australian Government is working with industry and all states, territories and local governments through the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) to reduce the environmental impact of e-waste. The current priority is to develop a product stewardship scheme for televisions and computers.
Televisions and computers have been identified because they commonly both include a very problematic component, the cathode ray tube monitor, which contains large quantities of lead. Televisions and computers also contain mercury and non-renewable resources such as tin, nickel, zinc and copper. Sending these products to landfill means the resources they contain are lost and there is potential that hazardous substances may be released into the environment.
In 2007-08, 16.8 million televisions, computers and computer products reached their end of life, with 84 per cent sent to landfill. Only ten per cent were recycled. If Australia was to continue without any form of collection and recycling scheme, approximately 44 million televisions and computers would be discarded in 2028, taking into account increased ownership and shorter replacement cycles.
Once a national collection and recycling scheme has been developed for these products, other forms of e-waste may be considered for national action.
Development of a National Approach
At the EPHC meeting on 5 November 2009, Environment Ministers' committed to the development of product stewardship arrangements for end of life televisions and computers through the implementation of Commonwealth extended producer responsibility legislation. This will be achieved through the product stewardship framework legislation which will provide a consistent approach to reducing the environmental footprint and health and safety risks of specified manufactured products and materials, particularly at the end of their useful life. Under the proposed approach to recycling arrangements for televisions and computers, importers or manufacturers will join a producer responsibility organisation (PRO) to organise for collection and recycling of televisions and computers.
The PRO will charge members the cost of collection and recycling. If a manufacturer or importer chooses not to join a PRO they will need to make arrangements, of the same standard as the PRO, to recycle their own products at end of life. The scheme will be underpinned by the Commonwealth's product stewardship framework legislation to ensure that manufacturers or importers do not `free-ride' by avoiding their recycling responsibilities.
Non-participants will be identified through the simple mechanism of comparing import data to the PRO's membership lists. They will be required to either join the PRO or comply with the safety net provisions of the framework legislation. It is expected that potential non-participants will be few because of the large number of companies (covering 80 per cent of the market) that already wish to participate.
Consumers of televisions and computers will be responsible for ensuring that their unwanted televisions and computers are left at a designated collection point to be recycled-but there will be no charge to drop off an item. Consumers may be charged a small fee when they purchase a new computer or television to cover the future cost of collection and recycling.
Consultation Package
0n 15 July 2008, the EPHC released a consultation package of possible options for the management of end-of-life televisions and computers for public comment. The package examined the impacts of implementing consistent national arrangements for end-of-life televisions and computers. The opportunity to submit comments on the consultation package closed on Thursday, 13 August 2009.
The consultation package included:
- Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS): Televisions and Computers
- Willingness To Pay For E-Waste Recycling - Final Report (Choice Modelling study) , and
- Code of Practice for Managing End-of-Life Televisions.
The views expressed in the submissions helped to inform the process of choosing and designing the appropriate policy option to manage end-of-life televisions and computers in Australia.
- For more information visit: www.ephc.gov.au - EPHC, Televisions and Computers
Next Steps
The national collection and recycling scheme for televisions and computers is expected to be up and running from 2011.
About the EPHC
The objective of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council is to ensure the protection of the environment and heritage of Australia and New Zealand.
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